Tag: once for all
Once! For all!
Scripture reading for March 15th: Hebrews 9, Psalm 53, Proverbs 22
Hebrews 9:24-28 “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer Himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then He would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, He appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.”
The Old Covenant high priest would have to go into the Most Holy Place in the temple once a year on the Day of Atonement with blood sacrifice for himself and the people. The Law of Moses laid it out in detail. But when Jesus Christ came to earth and lived a sinless life in a human body, He then offered His own body and blood as the perfect sacrifice. He presented His blood in Heaven on the true mercy seat. He did this once, for all time and all people. He took His seat at God’s right hand to intercede for those who would come to Him by faith. He is coming again to bring full salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him! The “Desired One” is coming soon! Rejoice and be glad!
Psalm 53:6 “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of His people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for providing purity of heart to all who by faith trust in Your Son, Jesus Christ! I put my trust in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ today afresh and anew! I set my eyes on Christ Who is coming again for those eagerly awaiting His return as King. Fill me again with power through the Holy Spirit to proclaim the salvation that purchased freedom from sin and its penalty for all mankind.
Proverbs 22:11 “He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.”
Once–for all!
Scripture reading for February 28th: Leviticus 24-25, Psalm 81, Hebrews 9
Hebrews 9:24-28 “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer Himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood, not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.”
The old covenant had this interesting provision for the year of Jubilee, when at the end of forty-nine years, on the day of Atonement, a trumpet was to be sounded and the Lord decreed liberty and restoration of all property and relationships. This was in the Law, but was never really enacted. But in Jesus Christ, through His sacrifice and the new covenant, He has become our Jubilee! In Him we have our sins forgiven. In Him we have relationship with God and others restored! In Him we await our full restoration at the resurrection at the last trumpet! In Him we have eternal inheritance and full reward! We eagerly await a Savior, Christ Jesus our Lord!
Leviticus 25:8-10 “You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and to his clan.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are our Jubilee! In You we have full pardon, redemption from sin’s power and penalty, and an inheritance in Father’s House forever! We rejoice at Your great goodness and mercy and that You remember our sins no more! You are our Strength and Joy! Amen!
Psalm 81:1-3 “Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob! Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.”
Once for All!
Scripture reading for August 18th: Hebrews 9
Key Scriptures: Hebrews 9:24-27 “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then He would have had to suffer repeated since the foundation of the world. But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.”
The Hebrews Jewish believers were familiar with the Old Testament sacrifices which had been offered by priests for hundreds of years. They had to be offered over and over because they were imperfect and just a type of the final sacrifice. They were offered in an earthly tabernacle and then the temple at Jerusalem. This was also a type or model of the true temple in Heaven where God Himself was enthroned. The writer of Hebrews states that the resurrected Jesus Christ entered heaven itself with His own blood once for all to offer the last and perfect Sacrifice for the sins of the world. This sacrifice would be efficacious for all time, available for access by faith in Jesus Christ, the enthroned High Priest Who ever lives to make intercession for us. Jesus Christ is coming again! He will not deal with sin but will fulfill His promise of eternal life and a transformed body to all who are eagerly waiting by faith for Him!
Hebrews 9:14 “. . .how much more will the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
Faith confession and prayer: Father God, thank You for sending Jesus Christ as the final Sacrifice for the sins of all the world. You left no one out and included all who would repent and believe! I am a citizen of heaven and await my Savior Jesus Christ and my full salvation of a glorious body like His glorious body. Fill me with the Holy Spirit today to empower me to be ready and share Christ’s great love and Good News!
Philippians 3:20-21 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.”
Once for all!
Scripture reading for October 24th: Hebrews 9, Psalm 63, Proverbs 28
Key Scriptures: Hebrews 9:11-14 “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
Jesus Christ offered His own blood as the perfect and only sacrifice on the altar in the actual Most Holy Place in God’s presence in heaven. This perfect sacrifice is mediated by Jesus who Himself is our High Priest. His sacrifice alone has the power to cleanse our conscience from dead works and enable us to serve the living God instead of dead idols. This offering is already made and is effective for all time and all who will believe.
Faith Confession: I trust in the shed blood of Jesus Christ as the final and only sacrifice for my sins and the sins of the world. I am forgiven by grace through faith alone and serve the living God whose steadfast love draws my praise!
Psalm 63:3-4 “Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your Name I will lift up my hands.”
Thankful for the cleansing blood!
Scripture reading for December 15th: Hebrews 5-9
Key Scriptures: Hebrews 9:22-24 “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these (the blood of bulls and goats). . . . But now He (Christ) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
The writer of Hebrews was showing Jewish believers how Jesus Christ fulfilled the requirements of Scripture. Because the law required blood sacrifice for atonement for sins, blood must be shed and presented before God at the place and in the manner He commanded. But in Jesus Christ, we have something better than a copy, we have the actual sinless Son of God offering Himself–body and blood–as a covering for the sins of man. He presented His own blood on the altar of Heaven, not a copy on earth. This satisfied God’s justice once for all who by faith believe!
Thankful for the blood of atonement: “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” (Leviticus 17:11)
Rejoicing in a Holy God!
Scripture reading for February 1st: Leviticus 11-14
Key Scriptures: Leviticus 11:44-45 “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.”
We can rejoice that our God is holy! His holiness and perfection are far beyond human comprehension. In His desire to dwell in the midst of His people, He called them to live a holy life, separated from anything that would hinder their enjoyment of His holiness! He led the Israelites out of Egypt to show the world a people marked by holiness!
Cause for rejoicing: God makes us holy by the blood of Jesus Christ so that we can be a people marked by His holy presence. “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10)
Jesus: Better Blood Sacrifice!
Scripture reading for October 26th: Hebrews 9
“When Christ came as High Priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 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, having obtained 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 the 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.” (Hebrews 9:11-14)
We note that the ‘good things’ of the New Covenant are ‘already here! Christ’s work and sacrifice bought ‘eternal redemption’ that is ours now! We can have consciences that are cleansed from past sinful acts and now serve the Living God without fear or shame. His sacrifice was once–for all men’s sins! (Hebrews 9:26-27) His sacrifice was offered in the heavenly Tabernacle in God’s presence meeting the Father’s requirement for justice. The foundation of His throne is righteousness and justice. (Psalm 89:14) The blood of goats and bulls could never truly atone for man’s sins, but only provided a temporary covering. But Christ’s blood was sufficient because it was human blood, but not tainted by sin. Praise the Lord for His amazing love and faithfulness to provide the perfect sacrifice! Praise the Lord that it is available to all who will believe on Christ Jesus our Lord! He is coming again with full salvation for those who are waiting for Him! (Hebrews 9:28)
Made perfect Forever!
Scripture reading for November 10th: Hebrews 10:1-18
We are painfully aware of our lack of perfection! Something or someone is always there to remind us of our faults and sins. We have an inner voice of conscience as basic equipment from God. We have our friends and enemies who blurt out the truth. We have consequences of our evil deeds that keep on coming as we reap what we’ve sowed. And in the spiritual realm we have Satan, the accuser, bringing up our faults.
Under the old covenant of law and sacrifice, the sacrifices were just reminders of sins. It was impossible for the blood of animals to remove sin. (Hebrews 10:3-4) The writer to Hebrews quotes Psalm 40:6-8 to explain God’s heart in bringing Jesus Christ to establish the new covenant. Sacrifice and offering was not what God really wanted, they were only shadows pointing to the reality of the final sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to do what God wanted, a man who was fully committed to do His will! “Then He said, “Here I am, I have come to do Your will.” He set aside the first to establish the second. And by that will we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:9-10)
Those who come to Jesus Christ and believe in Him for cleansing from sin find a new relationship with God. They now know the Lord personally and understand His will. God actually writes his laws on their hearts and minds, enabling an inner understanding better than the conscience. (Hebrews 8:10-12; 10:16) Jesus’ blood cleanses their consciences of sin enabling them (and us) to live without fear of death or judgment. (Hebrews 9:14, 27; 2:14-15)
God actually purged the record of our sins in heaven as well. He choose to remember our sins no more! (Hebrews 10:17) When God no longer remembers our sins, a sacrifice is no longer needed! Therefore, we can rest completely in what the blood of Christ has done for us! We are now made perfect forever by one sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus! We rest knowing our sins have been forgiven and forgotten by God. We rest in the inheritance of eternal life. We rest knowing we can stand at the judgment as one without condemnation or fear of punishment for sins! What a marvelous Lord and complete salvation we enjoy!
Jesus saves completely!
Scripture reading for November 6th: Hebrews 7:18-28
Do you ever wonder if you are really saved? Do you sometimes think that maybe you are not quite saved, but are missing something? Feelings can play tricks on us. We are mortal and our flesh has insecurities and our enemy loves to make accusations. The writer of Hebrews wants to reassure the believers of the completeness of their salvation!
God appointed Jesus to be a priest forever by using an oath. “And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, but He became a priest with an oath when God said to Him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: ‘You are a priest forever.'” (Hebrews 7:20-21) When Jesus became a priest, He was superior to the Levitical priesthood and had a better covenant as well.
“Not there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:23-25) There is no more need for another priest! This Jesus will always be there any time we have a need. We can call on Him and know He will pray and has already sacrificed His body and blood on our behalf!
“Such a High Priest meets our need–One who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike other priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself.” (Hebrews 7:26-27) Jesus is set apart from sinners like us. He is completely holy and pure. He was sinless and is now exalted above the heavens. He has already offered the perfect sacrifice and has been made perfect.
We are so blessed to have this wonderful High Priest! We don’t need another and never will. He faithfully intercedes for us and will come back to receive us to Himself. We can be assured of complete salvation: forgiveness of our sins now, power to live a holy life, and a glorified body enabling us to live in God’s presence forever! That’s something to boast about and shout joyfully to the One who paid it all!