For thousands of years the children of Israel brought their sacrifices but they were never enough, again and again they had to bring them but they could never enter through that veil into the most holy place and the presence of God, only the High Priest once a year when he went in to atone for the sins of the people.
Only faith in what the sacrifices signified, who they pointed to, could save.
We like them can come again and again in repentance.
Again and again we bring our sacrifices of sorrow, repentance, good intentions to strive harder and resolutions to overcome this sin.
But do we look any further?
Do we lift our eyes in faith and look beyond the altar and the sacrifices. Do we peer through the gloom to the vail that separates the most holy place from the rest of then temple. The place where the mercy seat sat and the presence of God would come down and fill the place.
But what is that, the veil is torn from top to bottom. Will we dare by faith to venture a little further? How did this happen?
It happened on a hill outside the city. There, one awful day, the perfect son of God hung writhing in agony upon a cross. Bearing not only the horrific of pain of crucifixion but also the anguish of the wrath of God due to us.
As the incredible work was completed, as the work of redeeming us from our sin and the punishment due to us, by His perfect life and sacrifice upon that cross He cried out ‘it is finished’, salvation’s work was done, the earth trembled, rocks split open and the vail of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom.
Jesus, our great High Priest, by His perfect sacrifice, death and resurrection, once and for all, has made the way for sinners into the most holy place, has made a way for sinners into God’s presence! And He more sits there, at God’s right hand, interceding for us.
A way made for each striving sinner who has discovered that even though they have sought to cast out the stones of sin by the bucket load from their heart, below lies the solid rock of a depraved, sinful nature.
Strive as we may to chip away at it, it seems only to go deeper.
But oh dear soul, it’s not there that we’ll find peace, not in our striving or sacrifices. Yes we need true repentance but that needs to lead us by faith to the cross, to the feet of Jesus.
To kneel there in wonder and gaze upon the One who bore all the wrath of Almighty God that was due to us and bore our sin and shame away upon that cross, so that our sins might be cast into the depths of the sea. For God ‘made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ Our sin washed away, our souls covered in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ so that we can ‘come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’
And if we’ve found that forgiveness and known that rest?
Then let’s not go back to chipping away at that rock of our old sinful nature. We may succeed for a while but all our good intentions and resolutions will only end in failure. Instead, let’s fix our eyes upon Jesus and trust in His grace to enable us to overcome those sins that ‘so easily beset us.’
Dear soul, there’s rest to be found in Christ. There’s rest, sweet rest, when we trust and daily abide in Christ and His love for us.
It’s from this foundation alone, by His grace and strength that we can face the enemy, overcome sin and live lives that truly glorify God.
So go forward and ‘fight the good fight’. But remember, it’s not a fight of our best effort, it’s the fight of ‘faith’!
Trust in God and He will help us to fight the foe and bring us safely through all the dangers until we reach our Heavenly Home and spend a wonderful eternity praising our Saviour!
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2 Cor 5:21, Heb 4:16, 12:1 1 Tim 6:12