Blood Bank

Heb 10:1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. 5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7 Then I said, 'Behold, I have come-- In the volume of the book it is written of Me-- To do Your will, O God.' " 8 Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

When you donate blood, you must not only submit to a screening process for blood-type - but also for quality.

Especially in this day and age, the blood you receive could literally mean life and death.

If the blood is tainted, it will be ineffective, and will eventually cause more harm than good, even if it provides a momentary benefit and gets you out of the hospital in the short-term.

If you are fooled into thinking you have what you need, only to find out later that the blood you received will actually kill you, then you know what the author of Hebrews is talking about in chapter 10.

The blood of bulls and goats cannot make you perfect. The continual effort of making an offering of animal sacrifice cannot make you perfect either. Logically, this should have set in as a concept long ago, since those offerings had to be made continually.

And now to find people still trusting more in what does NOT save over and above what DOES is mystifying, and yet we see it every day. All around us. In every walk of life. It is called ‘religious practice.’

People would rather trust in what they can see with their eyes over what they must trust by faith – even if they must suspend logic in order to do so. How could the blood of a goat save you, especially since it must be offered continually?

Only the blood of Jesus saves. You can take that to the bank.

-  Pastor Bill

Perfect Sacrifice

Heb 9:11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you." 21 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. 23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another-- 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

In a close, hard-fought game, with a runner on first base in the late innings, (after it has become apparent the pitcher is not very hittable,) the coach calls for a “sacrifice.” In baseball, it is an intentional out. You lay down a bunt and get yourself out in order to do one thing – and that one thing is to advance the runner into scoring position. If the bunt is good enough, it is judged to be a, “perfect sacrifice.”

The motif of the sacrifice does not come from baseball, it comes from Jesus Christ. I suspect the baseball play may have had another name entirely had it not been for Jesus Christ, as He set the example for all to follow.

Strangely, human beings, (even those of the ‘survival of the fittest’ evolutionary theology,) seem to place a higher value on an act of sacrifice above any other thing any human being may ever do. Where does that sort of thinking come from – if – as they say, survival of the fittest has gotten us where we are?

-  Pastor Bill

Nobody’s Perfect

Heb 8:1 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. 4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." 13 In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Did you ever break anything by your own stupidity? Reaching for a glass, instead you knock it over and it falls to the tile floor and breaks into a thousand shards. You think, “Man, what an idiot I am…how could my judgment have been so bad?!”

Did you ever say the wrong thing at the wrong time, and set off a war? You think, “Man, what an idiot I am…and I wish I had never said what I said…why am I so stupid?!”

Two characteristics common to man: 1) We are bad, and 2) We are stupid. Consistently.

And yet, we seem to think of ourselves as somehow worthy of entry into the kingdom of Heaven because we are a, “pretty good person.” Wouldn’t that be yet another thing we might classify as being stupid – given what we know about ourselves?

Here’s what we say (quite often) to excuse ourselves: “Nobody’s perfect!” (We agreed with God’s Word even before we knew God’s Word.) God says, “No one is righteous, no, not one.” There is no way any of us deserve anything other than hell.

How fantastically wonderful Christ has made a way for us into His Kingdom by His blood -  the blood of the New Covenant.

-  Pastor Bill

Which Order?

Hebrews 7:1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated "king of righteousness," and then also king of Salem, meaning "king of peace," 3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. 4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. 5 And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; 6 but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. 8 Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. 9 Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, 10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. 11 Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. 13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.

Following orders.

You know the phrase. “I was just following orders.” This seems to excuse our actions, no matter how heinous. Many of those who testified in the Nuremburg trials following WWII had exactly that to say. They were not terrible men at all. They were just, “following orders.” Who would not do the same, in the same circumstance?

There is a great degree of truth in that statement. We are all following some sort of order in this world, and the order we choose to follow will have great import. In fact, the order we choose to follow will determine our eternal destiny.

This is the point the author of Hebrews is making here. To the Jews, who have always placed such a priority on the office of the priest, and especially the High Priest, this would be a profoundly new way of thinking. Instead of following the old order of the priesthood, follow the New. There is, he says, a New Priestly Order which supersedes the old one. The main point of the old order - in fact - was only to lead us to the New One. Continuing to follow the old order now will get you nowhere.

What is being plainly stated here is Jesus Christ, of the tribe of Judah and not Levi, has replaced everything we have ever known of priests and priestly orders. Follow Him.

-  Pastor Bill

Lost and Found

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. 7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. 9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

A promise is a promise.

All promises, however, are worthless unless the one making the promise has direct control over the outcome of the events in question. Therefore, the only worthwhile promises are those made by God.

God’s Word is filled with promises. In essence, ALL of God’s Word IS a promise. From beginning to end, God promises to redeem all those who will be. On the other hand, His implicit promise is also not to redeem those who won’t be. He promises to let you be the one to determine your eternal destiny. You will be condemned unless you choose not to be, because you are born in a condemned state. Unless you make a determination to be redeemed by God in Christ, you remain in that condition. You remain ‘lost’ unless you choose to be ‘found.’ God lovingly woos all to be found. He gave His only Son as prime evidence of His love…for you.

The most curious case involves those who by every appearance receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord – and then choose to repent of their repentance. Were they never saved? Or – were they saved - and then chose to walk away from salvation? This is one of the most controversial questions of Biblical Christianity.

But a greater question should be: Where are you right now? Is your life bearing good fruit, and continuing to bear good fruit – or is your life bearing briars and thorns?

Unfortunately, when these questions are posed, those affected most deeply are often the ones who need not be. Those who seem unconcerned over their eternal condition in spite of their life conduct evidence because they made a prayer to “receive Christ,” at a point in time often are those least concerned by these thoughts. There is much to be learned. Can the author of Hebrews arrest your attention?

-  Pastor Bill

Our High Priest

Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. 4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You." 6 As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek"; 7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek," 11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The great sign God cares for us is His provision. We think of how He feeds us, or how He provides us with water, or of warmth, or of family or occupation. The list of the things God provides us by His goodness is vast and probably endless, (if we were to seek to name them all from a human perspective.) Who, for example, knows where their next heartbeat is coming from? Or how about life itself?

Of all the things God has provided us, however, the greatest is His provision of a High Priest.

In order to fully understand the nature of the importance of the position of High Priest, you have to go back to the Torah, to discover what God had in mind for how He would relate to His people. God related to the Israelites through the office of the High Priest. It was the High Priest who would go into the Holy of Holies once per year to make atonement for the people. It was the High Priest who would hear from God and speak to the people about God’s desire for them.

In short, the position of High Priest existed to allow people to know and understand the love God had for His people, and that He desired to be in loving relationship with His people – rather than being followed by those under coercion in some sort of religious fanaticism.

The position of High Priest indicates to us how it is Holiness can relate to lowliness. The High Priest stands between God and man. Of course, our High Priest is Jesus Christ.

-  Pastor Bill

Immanuel

Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

A question: If you were God, and your plan was to enter the world, how would you accomplish that?

When you think of the crush of celebrity - and everything that takes place when the public is aware of the presence of a huge celebrity - would it be like that? Could it be like that? Would that work? Would it not be the greatest event in the history of the world? Would it not draw the greatest crowd in the history of the world? Wouldn’t it be great to draw a huge crowd – so all could know at once that God had entered into His creation?

God chose an alternate path of entry. Fascinating. It had always been planned this way, and now it was accomplished. At Bethlehem, a wide spot in the road. In a stable, apart from the maddening crowds. The very antithesis of what may have been expected.

It must have been very troubling for Mary to know that she was giving birth to the Son of God in such a mean estate. Can you imagine? We want the very best circumstances and environments for the birth of our children.

But God’s plan was to come into the world to a world unawares. Rather than appearing in grandiosity, God would depend on men to get the word out about His birth. He still does.

-  Pastor Bill