The Longing for Christ's Return

Taking the next section in Hebrews 9, we read these verses:

15Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. 16For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you." 21And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

²³Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ²⁴For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. ²⁵Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, ²⁶for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, ²⁸so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

In my previous study in Hebrews 9 I learned that one of the big differences with the new covenant from the old is that Christ purifies everything in us. Not just the physical stuff, but the internal stuff of us as well.

Today I learn that Christ had to die for the new covenant to be in effect. Without death, the will of God is not in force. That "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins".

Oooh....and read this.....

Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, ²⁶for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Christ died ONCE for everyone for all time. Not like with goats and sheep and whatnot that had to be sacrificed all the time and only covered the physical sins of folks. Christ died once for all kinds of sins, for all kinds of people in all different time spans. Just once, for everyone, for all time. Think about that for a minute. I know this stuff....but it still just amazes me everytime I think about it.

So when Christ returns to earth....it won't be forgive our sins, but to save those (who have been called) who will be eagerly awaiting his return.

Okay...have to admit....I'm not always eagerly waiting for Christ to return. I do want to see my boy grow up physically and, I do want to have some of my dreams fulfilled. But most of all I do want to see my boy turn to Christ as the only answer to everything in life and I need more time to hopefully see that happen.

At the same time....ooh if Christ would return today, that would be a good thing wouldn't it? No more pain, no more sorrow, no more wondering what to do next and if I'm doing it in a God-fearing manner. I would be able to just see God and it would be so easy, so much better than what we have now. Ah....that is longing as well.

But I do want my boy to have that longing too......and right now he's just not there yet.

Cute budweiser commercial

I appreciate Milo

That might be a funny way to label a blog post.

But we are quite blessed with this kitten as Justin's Cat.

I've been around LOTS of kittens, some you like, some you tolerate. Milo I like.

One of the biggest reasons I like Milo is that he differentiates between me and Justin. Milo, as all kittens LOVES to play fight. He'll be all rough and tumble with me, and then Justin comes along and Milo just stops. He doesn't rough house wildly with Justin.

Justin and Milo play running/chasing games in the house. :)

Milo LISTENS to Justin..he does. it's funny. One doesn't expect a cat to listen, but Justin growls (as only a preschooler can) or says NO to Milo and Milo just stops whatever it is that is upsetting Justin. Makes me wish I had that ability with him (the cat)! :)

This difference was strongly pointed out to me this past weekend (as in last Saturday) when Justin and I stopped into to see a neighbour who has a kitten the same age as our Milo. Weezer is NOT a easy kitten. He is rough and tumble all the time. He's built like a tough kitten.....not like a lanky, lean kitten that our Milo is. Justin had to learn with Weezer....let him run, don't pick him up or he'll want to bite.

Milo...well...what can I say...that kitten gets carried hither and yon. :) He gets locked up, boxed up, bagged up, covered up, tangled up....and he just keeps on purring for our boy child. and if he ever accidently gets hurt he has a high pitched "meow" that illicits an immediate "i'm sorry Milo" from our son.

I am thankful to God for such a nice kitten for our boy child.

So how does one teach a child to see God?

Praying with Justin is sometimes a challenge.

After a frustrating time with him tonight I asked him what's up with not wanting to pray.

He said "I don't know who God is".
"what does God look like."

Just how does a parent answer that for a child?

The New Covenant touches the Conscience

Continuing on with Hebrews 9 we read:

¹¹But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent ( not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) ¹²he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. ¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, ¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Last time I had devotions I learned the problems with the first covenant that God made. How it didn't really touch the conscience of the sinner.

But now Christ has come into the picture. That changes things.
Christ has come into the greater and more perfect tent, a tent that isn't made of human hands.
He has entered it once and for all.
He doesn't have to earn his entry through animal or food sacrifice...his own blood secures his entry.

So instead of just purifying my flesh like the priests under the old covenant did, Christ can and does purify our consciences. He makes me able to serve the living Lord God.

It's like this passage is saying to me...THINK about this Annette! The old covenant priests couldn't touch my conscience, they were limited to the physical realm...BUT CHRIST, he can do more by the very nature of how the new covenant has been made. He died to make it. That changes the whole ball game.

Boy...am I glad that it does. :)

Today another stay at home day

So Justin has caught my cold.

It's not a fun time to be a preschooler needing to blow your nose frequently.

Does mean he sleeps harder which means I don't get woken up, but he's not a happy camper today.

We're hoping it will be alot better before Sunday.

Sunday my neice Marisa is going confirmation of faith at her church. But if his cold is too much for him we will have a quiet day at home.

The First Covenant more Fully Explained

Moving on to Hebrews 9 we learn more about the first covenant that God made.

¹Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. ²For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. ³Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, ⁴having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. ⁵Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

We learn about the basic structure of what the earthly place for worship was like and that there were rules for worship. The writer doesn't go into a lot of detail, he just basically mentions those facts.

Then we learn the differences in the priests. The regular priests who can go into the first section and have the duties they perform, and then the high priest who is the only one allowed into "the most holy place", and only ONCE a year and he goes in there to atone for unintentional sins of the people.

⁶These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, ⁷but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. ⁸By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing ⁹(which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, ¹⁰but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

NONE of this touches the conscience of the sinner. It just takes care of the physical requirements of sin. When I come back here, we'll learn more about Christ's role in things. :)

A new Covenant despite our forgetfulness

Continuing on from our last devotion time we find this poem in Hebrews 8.

⁸For he finds fault with them when he says:

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,
⁹not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
¹⁰ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
¹¹And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,'
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
¹²For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more."

¹³In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

God could not continue with the original covenant he made with Israel.
Why?

For they did not continue in my covenant,

Therefore God stopped showing concern for them. Not entirely sure what is meant by that. if I take it at face value then God merely stopped being concerned for them...but then how do I explain the repeated times that God continued to heed the call of his people? The OT is filled with times of God coming to the aid of his people, of God disciplining his people and such like. To me that is no longer showing concern. That shows continued involvement with his chosen people. So I'm not quite sure what is meant by that.

BUT it does show how people stopped holding up their end of the covenant. THEREFORE God needed to do something new and different, something that relied not on people and their action and that relied on something more.... and what could be more than people? can't be angels, can't be animals, can't be the physical world...God made all of that.. and people were the crowning jewel of that creation. So what can be more? Only God can be more.

So God made a new covenant based on himself and his own actions through his beloved son.

it once again is a covenant that HE is making with us HIS people.

but it's a covenant that will be different. Not a taught covenant, but a heart covenant.

¹¹And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,'
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.

a covenant written on hearts and minds.

I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,

A different covenant hmm?
Makes me smile reading this.
God made this new covenant easier didn't he?

I don't have to go to a priest to confess my sins.
I don't have to have a goat, lamb, dove, ox, grain or whatever to confess my sin.
ALL I need is belief in his Son and what he did for me.
All I need is a repentance for and turning from my sin in my heart (which affects my actions).

He made it easier...by having his son do a very hard thing. A thing I would find nie to impossible to do. And Jesus DIED for me. Jesus died as part of a new covenant that God his Father made with us, his people who forgot him and his ways with the first covenant.

I don't know what more to say, I'm just once again awed by the grace of God.

today we crafted

Today we crafted because we're two tired people dealing with each other....and this makes it easier. :)

So we made Marble racers.
take one marble:
place it inside a mouse:
then race them across the floor. We could not get a good picture of them racing, because, well...Milo Cheats!

DO NOT let Milo touch his...he CHEATS! He will grab said mouse by tail and carry it across the finish line!


and we made a kitty house (so that mice would have friends to chase them). :)
and then since we were at it, we did the farm as well.



wonderful to have things on line that one can do with one's boy child. :)

The Great Canadian Moo

Check out this link.

Today is the day, stand up and be counted with Canadians everywhere to show your pride for 100% Canadian milk. We're going for the world record today of the most moos in 24 hours.

So go click! :)

One way to amuse a preschooler

send him on a cat catching mission.

From an adult point of view...an exercise in frustration.