Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
Heb 10: 19-22Heb 10: 19-22
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Encouragement and Warning 19 My friends, the blood of Jesus gives us courage to enter the most holy place 20 by a new way that leads to life! And this way takes us through the curtain that is Christ himself. 21 We have a great high priest who is in charge of God's house. 22 ; . So let's come near God with pure hearts and a confidence that comes from having faith. Let's keep our hearts pure, our consciences free from evil, and our bodies washed with clean water.
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What is Sacrifice? Webster’s dictionary gives these definitions:
- An act of offering to a deity something precious; especially : the killing of a victim on an altar
- Something offered in sacrifice
- a: destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else b: something given up or lost
Exactly! The act of offering to a deity…GOD, something precious…ourselves. With sincere hearts, with complete surrender, we gave our lives to Him at the time of our prayer for salvation. We were, as it says in Heb 10:22Heb 10:22
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
22 ; . So let's come near God with pure hearts and a confidence that comes from having faith. Let's keep our hearts pure, our consciences free from evil, and our bodies washed with clean water.
WP-Bible plugin “sprinkled clean from an evil conscience. Following that, we gave our bodies to be ‘washed with pure water” in the act of Baptism. Those activities of a new believer were not the end of it. More was expected of us.
Heb 10: 23 goes on to say that we should ‘hold fast’ (tightly, firmly) to the hope, without wavering. Hmmm… without wavering.
What does that mean? Does it mean that we can run and cling to the hem of Christ’s garment when we want something, when we need Him to do something for us? Does it mean we can return to our old ways and run back and forth to Jesus with a prayer of repentance when we get into trouble? NO! “Without wavering” means that we must walk in His footsteps, moment by moment. That means seeking God’s will, and yielding to it, regardless of how uncomfortable it may seem at the time. It means that we must surrender our own thoughts and trust in His.
Sacrificial living won’t always feel good. When you give up something that you are used to doing, however unhealthy it might be, it’s not easy to do. God’s Word tells us that man’s thoughts are not His thoughts and our ways are not His ways. Sacrificing anything is contrary to man’s selfish nature.
It takes practice to let go of old things and to begin new methods of living. Consider physical exercise. It causes muscles to ache. However, the more we use those muscles, the stronger they get and the more natural it is to use them. Likewise, exercising these new spiritual muscles may cause moments of pain, but, the more we use those muscles, the stronger they get and the more natural it is to use them. Think of it as ‘growing pains’. Our sacrificial living is healthier, and it produces growth. Do you see the pattern emerging? Our faithfulness in the practice of giving to and for the Lord, results in our strength, and growth in spiritual things. The more grow, the more we want to please Him. The more faithful we are, the more He can use us in accomplishing His work.
We are to encourage one another in this vein. When it’s ‘hard’ to run that race set before us, let us call out, first to our Coach Jesus for strength, and then to the other team players, our brothers and sisters in Christ who will be our cheerleaders. We all need a friendly smile, a helping hand, a pat on the back sometimes. We all need a little scolding, too, at times and help in finding our direction. Each of us needs a little nudge, at times, to do our work with a cheerful heart. Let us pray for one another and encourage one another to ‘keep up the good work’ as we attempt to develop new patterns of sacrificial living.
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