HOW MUCH MORE! (When religion meets the Cross)

HEBREWS 9:13-14: “For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, 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, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?” CSB

OBSERVATION: Am I stuck on the merry-go-round of religion? Am I tired of working so hard only to find myself disappointed once again? Has my faith in leadership been shattered as I discover that, like me, they also have feet made of clay? What can I do to break this cycle of disappointment, frustration, and doubt? I can proclaim…

HOW MUCH MORE!

This is what the writer of Hebrews proclaims as he looks upon the Old Testament sacrifices and rituals and compares them to the power of the Cross. What the Old Testament sacrifices could never do, Jesus, once and for all, has done with His one sacrifice on the Cross for our sins. In this one moment, in this one sacrifice, Jesus forever changed our approach to God!

Anyone who has been Born Again has begun with simple faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for their sins. When I desire to take up my cross and follow Jesus, I have to lay down everything else I am holding onto. I can only carry one thing. It will either be my religious service with all its trappings, or it will be the Cross of Jesus Christ! We all begin at the Cross proclaiming…

HOW MUCH MORE!

Yet, then something begins to happen. Like the children of Israel looking over their shoulders and longing to return to Egypt, I begin to long for the external comfort of religion. Religion is something I can measure, touch, and mark my accomplishments. Faith is something invisible. Faith is concerned about the condition of my heart and does not rely on works for its power to change my life.

Religion becomes like the merit badges I once proudly displayed on my Boy Scout vest. I wear my religious service with pride, and I am glad to display my accomplishments to others. Proclaiming the power of the Cross, I really am trusting in the number of my accomplishments. Speeding down the highway of religion, I find myself traveling at 100 miles per hour, headed for a brick wall. When I hit the wall, I discover the truth.

There is nothing that can change my life but the blood of Jesus Christ!

I can clean my suit, put on a new pair of shoes, carry a bright shiny Bible, but the only thing that can cleanse my conscience from dead works to serve the living God is the blood of Jesus Christ. I can volunteer at church, teach Sunday School, sing on the worship team, give offerings to the poor, and even serve in leadership within the church, only to find, none of these change the condition of my heart.

To trust in religion is like running back to the Old Testament system of offering sacrifices upon the altar every day. It will never transform my heart. It will never change my life. It will never usher me into the peace of God that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. I need to hear the words of the writer of Hebrews every day.

“…How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?”Hebrews 9:14 CSB

To trust in the work of the Cross is not a call to a life of inactivity. Yet, it is a call to action that flows from a different objective. I do not serve the Lord to earn His love and forgiveness. I serve the Lord out of love for the forgiveness which He has bestowed upon me through the one and final sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I do not need to offer a sacrifice each time I approach God. I come boldly into the very presence of God through the one, final, eternal, and complete sacrifice of Jesus Christ, my Lord!

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh ), and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:19-25 CSB

HOW MUCH MORE!

We come to faith through the blood of Jesus Christ. We come into God’s family through the blood of Jesus Christ. We enter His presence through the blood of Jesus Christ. We are continually forgiven and cleansed through the blood of Jesus Christ. We stand fast in our hope without wavering through the blood of Jesus Christ. We encourage others and do good works to help others through the blood of Jesus Christ. We continue in the faith until the Second Coming of Christ through the blood of Jesus Christ! So this is why we proclaim…

HOW MUCH MORE!

Heavenly Father, once again I come to the Cross of Jesus Christ. Grant me the grace to lay down all of my trust in the things that I am doing or have done to try and please You. Help me stand solely in the full provision of what Jesus has done for me on the Cross! Forgive me, cleanse me, and fill me anew with Your precious Holy Spirit! And, when tempted to pick up the dead works of religion once again, help me to remember…

HOW MUCH MORE!

In Jesus’ Name!