Eyes fixed on Jesus. Moving Forward

 Read Hebrews 9

 Only two things are certain—death and taxes, or so the saying goes.

Hebrews reminds us that we are all going to die and we will all face judgment. Two things are certain—death and judgment. Only in America does the previous statement work so well. People in parts of the rest of the world don’t make enough to pay taxes.

What we know as judgment will be considerably better than those who rejected the Lord, but death and judgment are coming.

Speaking of coming, Jesus will come again. This time he will not be here to make a sacrifice for our sins. He did that.

He is coming to claim us. He is coming to bring us the fullness of our salvation. He is coming and there is going to be a big celebration banquet in heaven.

Throughout the book, we have been charged to move forward. Jesus is the only way. Profess him as Lord. Receive his grace by faith.

Pay attention. The Law that came through Moses is still good but it can’t get you to atonement. To move forward in our relationship with God we must embrace grace by faith.

We move forward seeking to know our Great High Priest. Our Priest is already in the most holy place.

We move forward by leaving the sacrifices of old to the past. We embrace the one-time sacrifice of Christ Jesus.

We move forward embracing the covenant of grace that we know and leaving behind the conditional covenant that came in the Sinai.

God’s law is still good and for our own good, but the provisions for atonement have been replaced as obsolete. Jesus is the only way.

Why do I keep using the term moving forward?

Because what lies ahead of us is meeting Jesus. His blood took away our sins and judgment is not something to be dreaded. Jesus has you covered.

But we will stand before Jesus and explain how we lived once we received the grace that came through his blood. What will that look like?

I think that we will answer these questions.

What did you learn from me?

How did you put my words into practice?

How were you known as my disciple? Hopefully, we can answer, by our love.

How were you the salt of the earth?

Where were you the light of the world?

Did you forgive everyone before you left earth?

We are all going to die. We will face judgment. We will live with God forever.

We have passed from death to life when we professed our belief in Jesus.

So our choice is to sit still or move forward.

Our choice is to long for what was or live for what is in store for us.

Our choice is to go back to annual sacrifices or receive the only sacrifice that we will ever need, and be assured that it is more than enough for whatever we have done.

Our choice is to drink milk or eat solid food.

Our choice is to rebuild the foundation of salvation again and again or to build upon it.

If you have been paying attention, you might note that the first option in each choice was not a good choice. It did not move us forward.

If there is one message that I hope you take with you for the rest of your lives, it’s this.

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and move forward.

Do not get distracted.

Do not be encumbered by nonessentials.

Move towards him with eyes fixed on the Author and Finisher of our faith. Eyes fixed on the Pioneer and Perfector of our faith. Eyes fixed on our Lord, Savior, and Great High Priest.

Eyes fixed on Jesus. Keep moving forward.

Eyes fixed on Jesus. Keep moving forward.

Eyes fixed on Jesus. Keep moving forward.

Amen. 

Matthew 6 - Part 2

 

Read Matthew 6

Fasting doesn’t get a lot of attention these days.  It is still a viable means to remind us that what gratifies the body is not the most important thing.

The world has a bazillion diets that it promotes, but that’s not fasting.

Jesus said that he had food that his disciples didn’t know about.  It was to do the will of his Father in heaven.  It was to do what he was sent to do.

Sometimes we need to quit feeding our physical bodies and let God feed us his word.  You know this part.  Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

We heard that from Jesus in chapter 4 after a 40 day fast.  That might be a bit more than we can handle as far as duration goes.

We need less bread and more word.  Fasting is about the less bread part, unless you are referring to the Bread of Life.

We need fewer calories and more connection with our Lord.  Fasting is one way to draw nearer to God.  It’s not the only way, but it can be effective.

Fasting was a big deal when Jesus came into the world 2000 years ago.  It was a really big deal to the religious leaders who wanted the people to know they were checking all the blocks.

They could have opted for tee shirts that read:  FASTING.  Instead they walked around with long faces and messy hair to show they were doing their duty and people should take notice.

Jesus didn’t say there was anything wrong with fasting.  In fact, it’s still a good practice especially in this age of immediate, or even instant gratification. 

Jesus said, don’t make a show of it.  This is a really good chance for you and your heavenly Father to grow closer.  This is about real communion.  It’s not about the meals you have missed but about the true sustainment you could gain in living upon God’s word.

This is just between you and God, so dress up and head out into the world like you just had the best breakfast in the world.  Look like your have the best sustenance ever as you greet others.

Kick the Eeyore routine to the curb.  Oh, I’m so exhausted from doing what God wants.

Don’t turn instructions that God gave us for our own good into something to be dreaded.  If you fast, be joyful about it and celebrate your time of drawing closer to God.

God will reward you for being faithful to him and not requiring human validation.  Your validation, your affirmation, revitalization comes from the Lord as you bring glory to the Lord.

When you fast, fast to the Lord.

Amen.