November 28: Hebrews 9 23-28
Key Verse: Hebrews 9 25
Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.
Devotion:
No matter how much we do here on earth, it is never going to be enough to get us into heaven without us first accepting Christ as our Saviour, the one who paid the ultimate price so that we would not have to pay that price! Throughout the bible we see how sacrifices were needed for people to show their repentance and sincerity of their love toward God. But not everyone was able to offer the type of sacrifices the bible describes…
The tabernacle and temples made in our early human history show how much God meant to people, but to some extent it also drew a line or barrier between simple folk and the requirements. Some temples have stood the test of time and remain as reminders for us of how much people gave up to have the hope of being able to get to heaven. They all required human effort and a dedication which we don’t seem to see much of in today’s societies!
Christ gave up His life once and went back to heaven once; this was not an annual occurrence like the priests going into the temples and tabernacle to offer up sacrifices again and again. This was a single accomplishment which was and is able to cover all of our sins. The priests made their annual sacrifices with the blood of animals, not their own. Christ gave up Himself and His own blood to be the ultimate sacrifice.
How would you feel if Christ had to give Himself up every year and be crucified each time just so we could live? How would you like to die every year just so someone else could live? It does seem extreme when we look at it in this light, but this is what Christ was willing to do; God only expected a single perfect sacrifice to be made and Jesus stepped up to the mark to be there for us all. He did this to bring salvation to us all who are willing to invite Him into our lives!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like the site of blood?
Aren’t you glad Christ shed His blood in our stead once and for all?
