Jesus' Sacrifice(s)

Do you know that Jesus continues to give sacrifices to God? I know this may seem like a bit of a stretch but hear me out on this thought.

Hebrews 8:1-3 describes Jesus as a minister and the High Priest of the true tabernacle of God. These passages go on to say that as the High Priest He must have an offering to give. Many people would say that He gave the ultimate offering (His life) and therefore He no others are necessary. I understand this point but I think there is more going on here in these verses.

The picture the writer of Hebrews gives us of Christ is that of a public servant who is currently serving in the true tabernacle. According to the Law as a High Priest He must be giving up sacrifices to God. The passage does not say exactly what sacrifices He must be giving. So may say that if we are following the pattern of sacrifice found in the Old Testament then there are a variety of different things He would be required to do. The text though seems to make it clear that there is a definite distinction between the earthly tabernacle and the Heavenly. This would then mean that the sacrificial system would be different. I personally believe that Jesus' public servanthood (Greek meaning of the word used for minister in verse 2) is His sacrifice. Think about it. He is God! He does not have to serve anyone or anything yet He choses to humble Himself, even in the realm of Heaven, to serve others. Wow! What an amazing thought!

Spiritual Maturity

Do you think I sound spiritually mature? Are you spiritually mature?

This are some of the more difficult questions to ask within the church. They are difficult because they require us to make an honest evaluation of ourselves and those around us. So what is the standard for spiritual maturity? Is it Paul? Peter? Noah? Christ?

Simply put it is none of them. Yes, we are called to be like Christ but we can still be spiritually mature without obtaining Christ's spiritual maturity. Yes, we should see Paul, Peter and Noah as spiritually mature but once again we can be spiritualluy mature and not be like them. So how do we know? Believe it or not Scripture gives us some clues about what spiritual maturity looks like.

One such clue is found in Hebrews 5. Here we find that the ability to discern good and evil is a mark of maturity. In essence, the writer is saying to us that when we are able to consistently recognize the lies and deceptions of the Devil then we are showing signs of spiritual maturity. So can you consistently see his lies? If not why not? What is it that is keeping you from growing into maturity?

These same verse in Hebrews also tell us that our maturity is a result of training and practice. The word practice (in the original Greek) means a power or habit acquired through custom or use. To me this says that we need to work at seeing the work of the Devil. Even we do not want to do it we must be working on developing the habit. This same principle applies to other areas of spiritual growth. I know there are days when I do not necessarily want to be in God's word. I have so much that I feel like I have to do that I think "I just do not have the time to do it this morning and besides I have pretty good over the last few weeks, what is one missed day.." Well, if I allow myself to fall into this trap then one day becomes two and then three and then four.... While, I do not always follow my own advice I work hard at continuing in certain habits (i.e. reading God's word or praying for others) even when I do not want because I know that through these kinds of exercises I will be able to develop some spiritual maturity. What are some habits that you have that help you develop spiritual maturity? What safeguards do you have in your life to protect those habits?

And yes I would like for your to leave your answers to these questions in the comments section. :)

Gospel in The Desert

Many Christians struggle with how to best reconcile the Old and New Testaments. This was especially true for myself when I was a new believer. On the surface it appears as though the 2 Testaments show two different gods or at the very least a god who changed during the 400 or so years of silence. On the other hand, God is unchanging and He is the God of the Old and New Testaments. Today, I want to share with you something from Hebrews 3 that may help you better understand how the 2 testaments are not as different as they may appear.

In Hebrews 3 the writer compares Moses (plus his followers) and Jesus (plus His followers). The conclusion of this comparison is found in verse 19 in which the author simply states that it was because of their unbelief that the Israelites were not allowed to enter into the promised land (God's rest). This is in many ways the gospel in a nutshell. A person's unbelief is what will prevent them from entering God's rest (Heaven).

I know this is only one of the many ways in which the 2 testaments lineup with one another. What are some of the ones you have noticed and seen?

Why Did Christ Suffer?

First and foremost he suffered and died to pay the penalty for our sins. This is by far the most important reason for Christ's wounds. However, the Book of Hebrews tell us of another rationale.

Hebrews 2:18 tells us that Christ was not only tempted but suffered so that he could aid those who are tempted and those who are suffering. When I read this verse I thought, does this mean Christ could not somehow have been my Comforter before His time on Earth? I know the answer to that question is 'no' because God does not change. So how does this verse lineup with the truth that God does not change.

The answer is that for once it is about us. You see Christ's ability to comfort us in our suffering did not change because of His pain. Rather, our ability to connect with Him changed. Our understanding of His love and grace changed at the Cross. As humans we tend to be better able to receive comfort from people if we truly believe that they can understand our perspective on life. In the same sense, Christ's temptation and suffering allows us to more readily believe that He can comfort us because He has been there and done that.

Always remember my friends. Christ is waiting to exchange your yoke for His and His is much lighter than ours.