Verse: Hebrews 12:18-24
You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
23 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Thoughts
If you know the story of Jesus, you know that he initiated a "new covenant" with mankind. The "old covenant" that we read about in the old testament was a shadow of things to come. The writer of Hebrews is writing this book to ... you guessed it ... Hebrews. Jews. What he is writing here is life changing and worldview altering.
He's saying that much of how they interact with God has changed forever because of Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross you can read in Matthew 27 that the veil in the temple separating the people from God's "Holy of Holy" presence was torn. The symbolic meaning was that now that Jesus had established a new covenant, things were going to be different.
One huge difference is that we can all come before God without fear. No matter our past, or our thought life, or our current sins, or anything really—we can come before Jesus. We can pray to him, worship him, and enjoy his presence. He has wiped away all shame and guilt. He has broken down the wall of sin that separated us from him.
The question for you this morning then is this: are you living connected to God or still separated from him? Are you allowing shame and guilt to tell you that you aren't worthy of being with God? Are you letting self doubt and insecurity tell you that you aren't good enough?
The blood of Jesus speaks loudly and it tells you: you are redeemed. You are righteous. You are loved. You are clean.
When the enemy tries to lie to you about who you are, remember that the work Jesus did on the cross changed everything. Including you.
Prayer
I pray that you would help me to no longer be stuck in my shame and guilt. Help me to receive you mercy and forgiveness and know without a shadow of a doubt how loved I am.