U-turn (Day 8) Man’s sin offering is still insufficient | Eld Rosalind Ang

Hello, ex partners, and welcome to day eight of our U turn.

I hope it's been good. It's been one week of fasting and praying,

and I pray that you have really been blessed by the devotions that has gone

before. And today's scripture reading is taken from the Book of Hebrews, and

Hebrews is a great book for us to study and reflect on. And maybe

just a little bit of background on the Book of Hebrews. It was actually

a letter written to many Jewish believers who had stepped out of Judaism and have

gone into Christianity. But they have now wanted to reverse their cause of action

to escape persecution from their countrymen. Now the right of Hebrews exhorts them and

also us to go on to perfection. And the appeal is based on the

superiority of Christ over the Judaic system. Christ is better than the angels.

He is better than Moses, for Christ created him. He's better than the

Aaronic priesthood, for his sacrifice was once and for all. Christ is better

than the law, for he mediates a better covenant. So it is this

context that we move now to Hebrews chapter ten, and we are taking the

reading from verses one to fourteen this day, this morning, and I'd like

to start off with the first verse that says, the old system under the

Law of Moses was only a shadow, a deep preview of the good things

to come, not the good things themselves. Now, when I read this,

I'm immediately reminded of my childhood experience. I'm not sure many of you

experienced this before, but I remember getting my IC when I was twelve years

old, my identity card when I was twelve, and I remember how precious

it was because it was an important document that my parents actually photocopied it,

laminated the small piece and gave me that to keep, and whilst they kept

the original copy. Now, when I think about that, you know,

many times it's a little bit of what the Hebrews ten one is saying,

whatever they have experienced, the Jewish people, the old law under the Mosaic

Covenant really was like a copy of it, just a diem copy. You

know, you can have your photocopy of your IC and you can bring it

around well to a certain extent, it shows who you are, but you

know that you can't do any transactions with it. You cannot apply for a

banglad with it. You can't even now, you know, verify your identification

with it, because there isn't that chip in it, right, so the

biometric chip, and so whilst we carry a copy of it, it doesn't

have the ectual value of it. And so in many ways, if you

think about the Covenant of the Old Testament, it's like that, you know,

we try doing it. We try that there were animal sacrifices, and

as you read Hebrews ten, you will realize that that's what it says.

You know, so there is a comparison between the Old Covenant and the New

Covenant. In the Old Covenant, you get the animal sacrifices, you know.

In the New Covenant, you get Jesus' sacrifice. In the Old Covenant,

it's something that's repeated over and over again. And what happens is the

right of Hebrews goes on to say that the sacrifices actually reminded people of the

sin. Where else what Jesus had done once and for all, for all

of us is the actual purging of sins. And it says that it is,

you know, it says that in verse for it is not possible that

the blood of bulls and goats could take away. Since now in the Old

Testament, you know that they do this yearly. The priests will go into

the most holy of police and do the purification with the blood. So blood

was needed. That was what was established. But what we could see is

that something that had to be reported over and over and over again. And

and if you think about it, in the Old Testament, the priests continuously

offered up animals and bulls and cows and different animals, doves, and and

it was just never enough. Whereas what Jesus did, he offered up himself

once and for all. Uh. And and when I think about it,

actually, why was the animal sacrifices never enough? So you were realized that

the animals, you know, after they were put to death, they just

died, and they continued in death. And that's why in the Old sacrifice,

you know, you constantly have to offer new sacrifice again and again.

Whereas the beautiful thing about Jesus is that he died, but he was raised

again a man, so he's no longer a date sacrifice. He was the

sacrifice that was risen and resurrected. And for that, I think we can

all rejoice and praise God for it because we now serve, you know,

a living God, someone who is at the right hand of the Father,

says, and Jesus is waiting for the enemies to be put at his footstool.

And so this is what's so beautiful because I think what it reminds us

is that our works are never enough. Really, if you think about it,

our works are truly never enough. But Jesus alone is enough. And

now how does this apply to us in our daily lives. I think the

first thing for me personally is, you know, I think sometimes when we

can feel very unworthy. You know, it's like, no matter what we

try to do with our past and our sins and our shortcomings and our weaknesses

and their days, when we feel really really down, really just not good

enough, I think the best place to be is to then go into the

place of rest knowing that the fact that Jesus is enough. So I just

want to declare that over our listeners as well, Remember that Jesus is enough.

I know we feel we are inadequate, but Jesus is enough, and

with that we can give him all praise and all thanks to God. And

that's why, you know, we can enter into his presence with thanksgiving in

our hearts. We can unenter his cause with praise. So I really want

to encourage you in this time off you turn to really have that the first

thing in the morning, to give him praise and thanks for all that he's

done. And He's done everything that we ever need, you know, for

the forgiveness of our sins. And that is the greatest gift that we have,

though we may go to our different challenges, so we praise God for

that. The other flip side of things is I felt that sometimes we can

be then on the other end of the spectrum, which is when we feel

quite good about ourselves, when we feel worthy, there's a sense of maybe

self righteousness or pride. And I think it's also a reminder for us to

say, hey, you know, whatever that you are doing, it's never

going to be good enough because it doesn't have to be. It's not your

work. It's whatever Jesus had already done for us, and that was done

two thousand years ago, and so whatever that we do now, we do

it unto him. It's not for us. And so let's also be careful

of not going into the part where we think that we've made it done.

We've made it this far because of our experience, our skills, our connections,

but just to remind ourselves that it's really nothing that we can do or

cannot do that paves the way for us to enter into this covenant, into

this loving relationship with Jesus. But it really is Jesus himself, and Jesus

is enough. So, you know, if I could summarize it is we

are never enough, but Jesus is enough. And for that, we just

want to thank God for all that He's done for us. So I just

want to cover and close this time in prayer. And I love how Jesus

reminded us as well. And it says here that you know in verse ten

for it you know, and Jesus says this, right, Lord, I

have come to do your will and invest and he says, for God's will

was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus

Christ once for all time. And so Father, we just want to thank

you for this time that we can have reading your word. And Lord,

there's just so much to reflect on and to give thanks for. Lord.

I just really thank you that Lord. It's not about us, Lord,

but we can come to the throne of grace because of who you are and

what you have done for us. Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice.

Lord, What a great price that you paid for all of us of God.

And Lord. For those of us feeling unworthy, Lord, I pray

that you would lift them up and you would encourage them in this time of

God. And Lord, let them be so assured of God that with Jesus

you are enough for God and so for some of us as well. Or

God when we feel that you know we can be in the danger of having

the pride or self righteous, remind us again, Oh God, that is

not really us. So God, every good thing that we have and have

received is from you or God, and so Lord, we want to turn

it all back and give you glory. And so and we pray, oh

God, Lord, that we will continue to do your will, because it

is not the sacrifices and the burn offerings that you're looking for, a Lord,

but you are looking for obedience in all of us. And I speak

that over all our listeners. And may you have your way in our lives.

Lord, your kingdom Come. Your will be done on earth as it

is in Heaven. Thank you Father, in Jesus' name, we ask and

we have prayed. Amen. Amen, Thank you, and God bless you.

Have a great day. Hit