New Insight

I learned tonight how many times you can read one Scripture verse over and over your entire life and then in one moment, whether you hear a sermon, or read a commentary and suddenly it takes on a whole new meaning. Tonight was our first night having a small group meeting in our home. We are listening to a year long audio series "Walk through Hebrews" by Dr. James MacDonald. Tonight's sermon was just on the first 3 verses of Hebrews Chapter one. I took pages of notes, but the one thing that was totally new insight for me were the words at the end of verse 3 "and he sat down at the right hand of God" (paraphrase). "Sat down". No big deal, I've read it or heard it read to me a thousand times. What I didn't realize and that Dr. MacDonald pointed out, in the Old Testement in the temple, the high priest never sat down. Actually, there were not any chairs for the high priest to sit down even if he wanted to. The reason for that was because the shedding of the blood of an animal under the Old Convenant for the forgiveness of sin was never complete; it was a continual thing, done over and over on behalf of person after person. So, after giving His life, His BLOOD for us as a sacrifice, for Christ as the High Priest to SIT DOWN means the job is DONE! Finished! A one time sacrifice for ALL for ALL TIME! No more religious rituals, the price has been paid, the work is done - PERIOD. Sanctification - now that of course is another story entirely - but the shedding of blood to cleanse us of our sins is a done deal and for that, I give GLORY to GOD!!!