Hebrews 9 “Before and After”
Everyone enjoys a good “Before and After” story. A quick glance through any T.V. guide listing finds a variety of “Before and After” shows ranging from weight loss, to re-vamping your wardrobe, redecorating one room or renovating an entire house. However, all those pale in comparison to the greatest ever “Before and After” when Christ sacrificed Himself “once for all.” (v. 26)
Let’s go a little deeper into this “Before and After” that captures my heart. Unlike those living in biblical times who could not enter the Tabernacle let alone the Holy of Holies (this was reserved for the High Priest), we are free – invited by the Holy Spirit even – to not only enter into the Holy of Holies to worship God but to stay there as long as we wish! Because Christ THE High Priest freely shed His blood for us which washes away our sins and gives us a priestly identity to serve God in His sanctuary, around the corner and around the world. (Rom. 1:9) Before Christ, we operated out of dead works. After Christ, we operate through the power of the Holy Spirit by the grace of a living God. (Eph. 1:6)
“Through the Spirit, Christ offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice, freeing us from all those dead-end efforts to make ourselves respectable, so that we can live all out for God.” (v.15 the Message) So let me ask you: Are you living ALL OUT for God today?
Kelly McGaha