KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Friday, December 22, 2017
Chapters: Hebrews 6-10
Message: No More Dead Works
Hello My Friend,
In order to have a blessed filled, prosperous, and personal relationship with God we need a mediator, someone, perfect, sinless, and righteous to stand before us and plead our case before God. Jesus Christ, Son of God, and High Priest forever, lived a perfect, sinless, and righteous life in the will of God. He gave His life, His flesh and blood as a sacrifice to be the permanent redemption for every sinner who believes in Him. Now, all who admit they are sinners, believe in Him, and confess they need Him to save them have permanent redemption, and everlasting life too. Now, when we receive Christ as our Saviour we are much more than saved from hell, we are saved from a life of dead works that can never save us. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” – Hebrews 9:14,15.
Before Jesus became the sacrifice that would bring redemption to a sinner, the sinner voluntarily brought a sacrifice, an animal, a male, without blemish, to be that sacrifice. He laid it on a table outside of the Tabernacle, the sinner placed their hand on the head of the animal, killed the animal, and as the blood poured out the priest would take the blood to the altar, offer it up to God as a replacement, and then he would sprinkle the blood on the altar, in which the person would be redeemed until the next time they sinned. Sounds like a lot of works, especially since we are all sinners by nature and often no sooner than we leave the altar have sinned. That’s why God sent Jesus, and why our own righteousness can never save us.
“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” – Hebrews 6:1-6.
“eeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh,” Dead works is serving God in hopes that they will be saved, a person that has accepted Christ as their Saviour is not trusting in what they do for God to save them, they are trusting in Christ. Every time a person believes that they must do good in hopes of being and or remaining saved is not trusting Christ, and crucifying Him all over again. Only by trusting in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, and receiving Him are we saved. However, that does not mean that God only wants us to be saved and go about living the lives we have been living, He has much better things in store for us. “But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” – Hebrews 6:9-12.
When God came up with the Mosaic law, He knew that this would only be a means for temporary redemption, yet all of it from the altar to the animal, to the spoon used in the offering was a foreshadow of Christ. The law provided the hope of a better testament, which when our High Priest forever gave His life for man, became.
“By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” – Hebrews 7:22-28.
“who is consecrated for evermore.” A testament is an authentic document in writing, the Bible is divided up into two testaments, old and new, both declare a covenant or agreement between God and man. The Old, the Mosaic covenant, declares that the Jews are God’s people. The New, the Messianic covenant, declares that anyone who believes in the Son of God, are God’s people. “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” – Hebrews 8:6-12.
Paul reminds the Jews that the first law was merely an example of the second. The tent used to offer God a sacrifice in return for their lives was a foreshadow of Christ, who would give His life for all, and redeem every soul who believes in Him.
“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” – Hebrews 9:24-28.
“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;” Today, all we need is Jesus Christ, and just like the people had to willingly admit their sin and bring their offering to the tent, we have to willingly come to Jesus. God cannot, and will not save a person who does not know His Son, we must believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Saviour in order to be saved. One sacrifice was made once and for all to redeem all who believe in Jesus Christ. Dead works are the good acts that we try to do, once again, our good never measures up to God’s good, therefore no righteousness of our own can save us. While good works cannot save us, it is important that we maintain good works, not what by our reasoning on what is good or bad, but by God’s. Just because we are saved from hell, that does not mean we will not suffer for our sin here in earth first.
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.” – Hebrews 10:24-30.
“The Lord shall judge his people.” God is not talking to the unsaved here, He is talking to those who are saved and continue living wicked, immoral lives, and hold on to His Son as well. Look, we all have a choice, live God’s way or our own. Living God’s way comes with some suffering, but it brings more blessings here on earth as we endure the suffering with Christ. Judgment is coming to the house of God, and before He brings it upon the rest of the world. We better get right with Him before we get stuck in a mess that we cannot get out of. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” – Hebrews 10:35-39.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” – Hebrews 9:12.
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your never ending mercy and grace, You never cease to be there for me even when I am not always there for You. I know that no matter what I do I am still saved, not because of my righteousness, but because I have trusted Your Son as my Saviour. With that said, I want to live in Your will and not my own. Lord, lead me and guide me, keep reminding me of how much You have changed my life for the better, and what is waiting for me as I continue living my life for You. Watch over me, keep me protected, and always looking for Your promises. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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