Being Sanctified, Let Us…

Hebrews has always been one of my favorite books of God’s holy word. As I read through and take time to meditate and study I am consistently blessed with a greater understanding of what the Lord Jesus did as well as what the Holy Spirit does. In chapter ten, again, it reiterates that the old covenant was but a shadow and that Jesus came to do the Father’s will (vs.9), to be a forever sacrifice for our sins.

Two verses stood out to me in the first half of the chapter. Verse 10 says, And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Verse 14 reads, For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Look at the words have been sanctified and are being sanctified. WOW! The power in the blood of Christ! Of infinite worth! By Christ’s blood I am made pure completely, but is is an ongoing thing to be finished at seeing Christ face to face. This is what I found in looking into the word sanctify.

Sanctify – hagiazo (Greek) (Webster 1828 Dictionary)
1. To cleanse, purify or make holy
2. To separate, set apart or anoint to a holy use
3. To purify; to prepare for divine service
4. To separate, ordain and appoint to the work of redemption
5. To cleans from corruption; to purity from sin, to make holy by detaching the affections from the world…

have been (vs.10) – are being (vs.14) It was done and continues to be done in us when we believe Christ. This is such a priceless treasure we have through the blood of Christ.

The author then goes on to say in verse 19, Therefore since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus… Since Christ did all that for us, here’s what you can do in response, and we have an exhortation three times to – let us…in verses 22, 23 and 24.
1. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance (vs.22).
2. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering (vs.23).
3. Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works (vs.24).
*draw near – to God
*hold fast – to faith
*stir up – love and good works

Now that we are freed from the old covenant of works we can have confidence to draw near to God instead of being in fear and dread of His presence like the children of Israel were because they would be struck dead due to their uncleanness. That brings home the sanctification that Christ bought for us – with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (vs.22). Jesus Christ cleansed us and made us acceptable to God!

The Blood of Christ

The last two days I’ve been reading and meditating on Hebrews Chapter 9 and it is rich! Verse 14 has captured me and says, “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.” The Trinity is encapsulated within this verse – Christ, the Eternal Spirit and the Living God – Wow! Think about it, and read it again.

In the tabernacle, tent of meeting, were pieces of furniture that brought to my mind things about our Lord Jesus.
The lampstand (9:2) – “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
The bread of Presence (9:2) – “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).
The golden altar of incense (9:4) – “he always lives to make intercession for them” (7:25). In Scripture incense is associated with prayer (Psalm 141:2, Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4).
The ark of the covenant (9:4) – “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). The ark was the symbol of Yahweh’s presence, Jesus Christ was the very presence of the Omnipotent God.

Christ has secured for us an eternal redemption by His blood (9:12). Eternal. Redemption. He has forever bought us, paying the price of His precious blood, to deliver us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. How marvelous!

We also have a promised eternal inheritance by His death (9:15). Our inheritance is life forever with the Lord in heaven…eternally. Forever. Christ has secured so many things for us by his sacrificial death and resurrection.

The final verse of chapter 9 says, “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.” Are you eagerly waiting for Him like a bride awaiting her bridegroom? Are you making yourself ready (Revelation 19:7)? Help us LORD to look for You with excitement and anticipation in thankfulness of our eternal redemption that is and eternal inheritance to come.

Heaven and Prayer

Heaven

I’m working through Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne Grudem. This morning while reading in chapter 28, Resurrection and Ascension, I read, “…the ascension of Jesus into heaven is designed to teach us that heaven does exist as a place in the space-time universe.”  I thought, “What? Really?” I thought heaven was outside of time and space. I held that belief ever since I became a Christian decades ago. In parentheses it said, “See chapter 57 for further discussion of the nature of heaven.” Well I had to take a look so I flipped to the end of the book to see. Grudem says heaven is a place because that is where the resurrected Jesus went in his risen, gloried body and he’s preparing a place for us and he’ll be back for us. Grudem also brings up what Stephen saw just before he was martyred, that Stephen “gazed into heaven” and saw “the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55-56). “He did not see mere symbols of a state of existence. It seems rather that his eyes were opened to see a spiritual dimension of reality which God has hidden from us in this present age, a dimension which nonetheless really does exist in our space/time universe…” (page 1159).

Grudem says that the Bible explains things of heaven, much in the book of Revelation, as happening in succession, a linear sequence of events. Even the tree of life “yielding its fruit each month” (Revelation 22:2). “Since we are finite creatures, we might also expect that we will always live in a succession of moments…that will never end” (page 1163).

Wow! My mind reels at the thought. When I muse on the idea of heaven being timeless it really doesn’t make sense because we humans wouldn’t have any understanding of what was happening in a timeless place because we aren’t like God – omnipresent and omnipotent. We will have real bodies and be in the presence of a real and living Savior. What a pleasing thought. To be with our Creator in space and time and not in some surreal dream world. Father, you have thought of everything!

Prayer

Another book on my current reading list is The Path of Celtic Prayer: An Ancient Way to Everyday Joy by Calvin Miller. As I began chapter 2 this morning I was drawn into a deep sense of need – the need to connect with the Triune God in prayer by using Scripture to pray. Miller talks much of praying to all the persons of the godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirit to give us a richer understanding of our God.

Listen to this, “Why is praying Scripture so important? First, it’s the best way to develop the art of listening prayer. We too often go into God’s presence with a list of pleas, trying to talk God into granting our desires. But this kind of praying makes us “one big mouth” and God “one grand ear.” But when we pray the Scriptures, it makes God the voice and leaves us as the ear” (page 57). Now that steps on my toes. That very often describes my prayers. I don’t want to be “one big mouth.” I want to hear what God has to say and He has spoken to us by His Word. Help me to pray Your Word back to You Lord and help me to listen.

 

Quite Time Musings

Each morning I wake up early to spend some quality quite time with the Lord Jesus. On the table next to my recliner sits a number of books that I am working on, all a different aspect of studying the Bible. I’m addicted to Bible study and my difficult decision each morning is which book to pick up and read, pulling out gems from God’s Word and gaining greater understanding of who our awesome God is and who I am in His grand scheme of things.

I’d like to share the “aha” moments I have, those times when my mind is blown by something I’ve learned about God and His marvelous Word.