Hebrews 10

TVCC Students,
We love getting to worship with each of you on Wednesday evenings. It refreshes out hearts to see you engaging the Lord and spending time encouraging each other. Last night Sonny went through Hebrews 10 and how the offering of Christ was complete and gives us access to the Lord with confidence. Here is a recap...

Hebrews 10

10:1-11- Jesus offered Himself and then sat down. Where the sacrificial system failed to perfect people, Jesus came to the rescue. His offering was complete and final. He offered Himself once and this offering cleansed completely and forever all who believe in Him!

Q: Have you ever sat down and contemplated the reality that Jesus took YOUR place on the cross? Not just that He died for the sins of the world but that He was sacrificed for YOU personally? How should this affect the way you view the One who sacrificed Himself for YOU?

~10:1-13- During the time that this book was written two worlds were colliding. There were those who were holding fast to the Jewish law (sacrificial system needed to approach God and avoid his wrath) and the NEW covenant.  Jesus brought this New Covenant when He came as a sinless man who died in our place. Because He was sinless and completely filled the law, He could take our sin on His body so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him.

Q: Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. What life implications should this have for us when we live DAILY in light of this reality? No sacrificial system is needed anymore. Jesus gives us access to the LORD who spun the galaxies into existence.

~10:14: Jesus’ blood was so rich, powerful and EFFECTIVE!! It paid for the sin of mankind forever. Sonny spoke about the liquid drug that was given to His grandfather that healed his heart for a time. He was given a powerful drug that was effective. Again... Jesus’ blood was rich, powerful and EFFECTIVE!!The sacrificial system just appeased the wrath of God for a time but Jesus was OFFERED once and for ALL and then SAT DOWN... it is FINISHED!!

Q: Read John 19:30. Are there any changes that you feel the Lord calling you to make to live a more thankful lives in light of this verse and the knowledge that Jesus gave His blood so that we could be righteous?

~10:14-16: Jesus has perfected those who are being sanctified.  Jesus makes us perfect positionally and then His Spirit works on us daily in order for us to mirror Him more each day (sanctification). We are children of the Lord through Christ (nothing can change that) and are being made to look more like Him through His spirit.

Q: In what ways have you seen the Spirit working in you this week? ****If you cannot think of anything, we encourage you to really think about your relationship with the Lord. When we have a relationship with someone, there WILL BE things we can call to mind regarding that relationship. If there is nothing that we can think of that is "happening" in the relationship, maybe we are deceived in thinking that we are actually in a relationship.

~10:14-16: The new covenant is supposed to do so much more than just make us begrudgingly follow the rules of the Lord. Jesus died to change our hearts to where we will long for Him and obey Him out of a love for Him. He creates in us a longing for Him. His Spirit is within us constantly drawing us to Him.

Q: In what ways have you felt His Spirit drawing you to Him this week? If you haven't felt Him drawing you this week, are there any things in your life that are maybe preventing you from being able to hear Him? We encourage you to remove any hindrances that are keeping you from the Lord.

~10:17-18: Our sins are remembered no more in Christ. Wow. This is the NEW COVENANT through Christ. Complete forgiveness!! Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven (Psalm 32:1)!!! Praise Jesus!! This should cause an extreme amount of love to flow from us. Yes there are earthly consequences that might come because of our sins but God is not against us once we have become His in Christ. Yes, He does discipline us (as any good Father does... Hebrews 12) but this does not change His love for us. There is no offering that we have to give to cleanse us- Jesus cleansed us!

Q: What has your attitude towards Christ been like lately? Read Psalm 32:1. What should your attitude look like in light of this verse and the forgiveness that is yours through the blood of Jesus?

~10:19: In Christ, we have confidence and have a great High Priest who intercedes for us. Knowing that Jesus stands between us and the wrath of God, let us...

1. Draw near to the Lord God of heaven and earth! God wants us to draw near to Him through the blood of Jesus with confidence!! Our lives matter to the Lord and He wants to be involved in our daily lives! We do not need to shrink away from Him in shame. All of our sins are forgiven. Period.

2. Hold fast to the confession of our hope...  Jesus' life, death, & resurrection on our behalf. This is our hope. Philippians 3 calls us to put no confidence in the flesh. If anyone could put confidence in the flesh, Paul (the author of Philippians) could. He knew that was not his call in Christ. His whole confidence (after he was spiritually wrecked by the Lord in Acts 9) was in Christ. Our salvation and sanctification does not depend on us but on God who has mercy (Romans 9). Let us hold fast to Jesus! Plead for His mercy to continually be on us and to make us more like Him. We are the faithless ones but He is faithful. He will never disappoint. Let us remember this and hold fast to Him.

3. Stimulate one another to love and good deeds. We were saved by grace for a purpose- to declare His glory to this world and to accomplish the good works that He has prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10). Our DAILY lives should be leading others to Christ. Let us encourage one another to meet together to push each other to Christ. Encourage each other to the finish line!

Q: Which of the previous three bullet points "hits home" the hardest with you? Are there any areas of your life that you feel the Spirit calling you to change as you think about these three truths?

Dear Students,

We are so thankful for each one of you. So often we speak of how grateful we are to be a part of the work that the Lord is doing in your lives. You all encourage us so much. We pray that this week you will think often on the forgiveness that is yours in Jesus. He paid the penalty for our sins so that we could enjoy a relationship with the Father without fear or shame. What a great salvation we have in Christ! We pray that you will enjoy the sweetness of the presence of the Lord this week. We love you!

With hope,

~Sonny and Casi

Hebrews 9: Jesus Completes the Sacrificial System...

Dear TVCC Students,
It has been so great to worship with you all lately. With all of the craziness of us adding little Pax to our family, it's so encouraging to come see you guys on Wednesday engaging the Lord and enjoying fellowship with one another. We have moved from Deuteronomy back into the book of Hebrews. Last night, Sonny taught us through Hebrews 9. Here is a recap...

Hebrews 9

~9:1-10: The sacrificial system revealed the huge separation between man and the Lord. God had set up commandments for His children to obey and had set up the sacrificial system as a means of temporary atonement for them if they did not obey. There were so many rules and regulations in that system and it was ultimately incomplete. This is why Christ came!

a) If we look back at Hebrews 1:1-3, we see that Jesus was (and is) the exact representation of the Father and as such was the only person whose death could completely atone for the sins of mankind as He was the only who fully obeyed the law.

b) All of the aspects of the Sacrificial System point us to Jesus. Here are just a few examples...
     1) the Lampstand was placed inside the Tabernacle... John 9 shows us that Jesus is the light!
     2) the Sacred bread was also inside the Tabernacle...  John 6 shows us that Jesus is the bread of life!

Q: Take a minute to think about how Jesus is the BREAD of life and how He is the LIGHT of the world. Why do you think the Lord uses these words to describe Himself? How should these truths about who Jesus is affect our daily lives as believers? Do you think there are any changes the Lord wants you to make in your life as you have meditated on these aspects of who Jesus is?

~9:11-12: Jesus came to offer complete and eternal redemption for mankind. The sacrificial system could only cleanse a person temporarily and they would have to come back regularly to offer even more sacrifices for ongoing sins. There was even a day set up (Yom Kippur) for all unintentional and unknown sins! Jesus came ONCE and FOR ALL!  He set aside His glory in heaven (Acts 17), came down as a humble servant to die in our place, and went back to glory after He was resurrected from the dead- completing our redemption!

Q: What does it look like for you to make time in your life to daily meditate on the redemption that Christ purchased for us?

~9:11-12 (and verse 8): When we look back at Matthew 27:45, we see that after Jesus died, the veil to the temple was torn from TOP to BOTTOM! The Lord was showing that the separation between Him and man had been mended ONCE and FOR ALL. Those who trust in Jesus' death and resurrection on their behalf do not have to try and atone for their own sins (which cannot even be done). Christ completed our atonement! By trusting in Christ, a believer has the promise of eternal redemption. Nothing can then separate the believer from the Lord! Believers were purchased by Christ and are sealed forever by His blood!

~9:13-14: The blood of Jesus didn't just rescue us from the failings of the sacrificial system, it went into the depths of each believer to cleanse their consciences. Sin causes people to have their consciences seared, thus preventing them from enjoying an intimate relationship with the Lord. We saw that in Adam and Eve after they had first sinned and went to hide from the Lord. The blood of Jesus cleanses that guilt that prevents man from enjoying the Lord.

Q: 1 John calls us to confess our sins to the Lord in order to have a cleansed conscience (our salvation is a free gift but unconfessed sin still weighs us down and prevents us from enjoying intimacy with the Lord just as the unconfessed sin of a child to his parent doesn't change their status as a child but prevents them from enjoying an unhindered relationship with their parents). Take a minute and think if there is any unconfessed sin in your life that is keeping you from walking in peace and joy in the Lord. Confess that sin and thank the Lord Jesus for being crucified so that you could be freed.

~9:13-14: The restoration that Jesus brings has a purpose. Not only does it grant us eternal life and cleanse our consciences but it gives us the freedom to serve the Lord without fear. The main job of God's people has always been to represent Him to the world. While under the burden of sin, this was impossible. Jesus redeems us, restores our relationship with the Lord, and then calls us to represent Him to the world. We have been saved and He has prepared work for us to do to showcase His incredible glory! We see this all over the Scripture. 1 Corinthians 6:12 reminds us that we are the temple if the Holy Spirit and we are called to glorify the Lord in our body.

Q: Please read 1 Corinthians 6:18-20. What implications to these verses have for the everyday life of the believer? What changes do you feel the Lord calling in order for your life to live out these verses well?

Dear students,
We cannot tell you how thankful we are for each one of you. We pray often for you- that you would be walking in the freedom and joy of the Lord and that you would each be witnessing Him moving in your lives. We pray this week that you will meditate on how Christ came to fulfill the sacrificial system that couldn't offer freedom for God's people. We pray that you will walk in thankfulness to Christ and live this week to display His glory to this world. We love you!

With hope,
~Sonny and Casi