Monday, 30th April 2007
Recently, I have also been listening to a sermon series by Pastor Benny Ho entitled "Finding Balance in a Busy World". (Yes, I do listen to other anointed preachers besides Pastor Joseph Prince).
He was supposed to be the speaker at our upcoming church camp, but had other prior commitments during that period.
Anyway, Pastor Ho mentioned about the book of Hebrews, and how the author is telling his fellow Jewish converts about Jesus Christ and the new covenant being far better than Judaism and the old covenant.
The target audience of that book were Jews (hence the title of the book), and they were being reminded that having accepted Jesus and the grace that He offers, they should not go back to embracing Judaism and come under the Law again.
The author makes the following comparisons:
Chapter 1: Jesus superior to angels
Chapter 2: Jesus the perfect man
Chapter 3: Jesus superior to Moses
Chapter 4: the new coventant provides a better rest
Chapter 5-8: Jesus superior to the high priests
Chapter 9-10: Jesus as the perfect sacrifice
Chapters 11-12: a better covenant based on faith rather than works
Chapter 13: Concluding exhortations
Knowing the overall theme of the book is to show that Christianity is a better way as compared to Judaism, and specifically, that chapter 10 is to paint the picture of Jesus as our perfect sacrifice, it is imperative that we do not read verses 25 and 26 of that chapter out of context.
"The deliberate sinning" mentioned in that passage can also refer to the act of rejecting of Jesus as our perfect sacrifice. If we behave as though that sacrifice is not complete, then we are in deep trouble because there is no other sacrifice available for us anymore.
So instead of bringing back the Law and accepting messages from Mt Sinai, let us just thank the Lord that He is an overpayment for all our sins, past, present and future, and approach the Father with confidence and without fear, because perfect love casts out all fear.
Shalom
Malcolm
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