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"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."
(Hebrews 10:19-22)
Wow, those words from Hebrews are absolutely powerful and revealing. Yesterday, we talked about how the church belongs to Jesus, as He stated in Matthew 16:18 that it is His church. In Hebrews 10 we read how Jesus created His church, and that is by His sacrificial death on the cross. His blood cleanses us from all sin, and we are born again by the Holy Spirit. We are not our own, for we have been purchased at such a high price. Writing to the local church at Corinth, Paul states, "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:20).
One of the primary themes in the Book of Hebrews is the idea of a new and living way. Jesus has fulfilled the Law, and by His blood He has cleansed us and redeemed us. All those who know Jesus are a part of His Church. He is the High Priest over the House of God (verse 21). We are now the House of God, or as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 6:19, we are the temple in which the Holy Spirit now lives. Is that not amazing?!
In light of all that Jesus has done for us, the writer of Hebrews says in verse 22, "let us draw near" to God. We can come to God with a pure heart and great confidence because of whose we are. We can do that, and we must do that. God's people, His church, are those whose hearts have been sprinkled by the blood of Jesus and made clean. All our sins are forgiven, and we are given a new nature. In verse 22, the writer also says our bodies have been washed. I believe this to be a reference to water baptism.
In Acts 2, we read of when the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost and fell upon the gathered believers in Christ. Some believe this is the actual genesis of the church, when the Spirit came. Jesus promised that He would send the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4, 8). God has gone to great lengths to build, establish, and sustain His people in community with each other. Many across our land were once a part of the local church but no longer are involved with others of like faith and practice. We live in one of the most unchurched areas in the country. In Austin, TX, around 92% do not attend a local church. There are many reasons why: lack of interest in church and spiritual matters, busy with life and family, and obviously, many do not know God and have no desire to be a part of a local church. Some choose not to go because they are still trying to find the perfect church, which does not exist. Just like there are no perfect people, marriages, businesses, teams, organizations, etc., there are no perfect churches.
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