AVOIDING* THE HALL OF MIRRORS
OR ESCAPING
CHAPTER 9
Covenant: Seriously (2|2)
Pages 115-120
Hebrews 9:18-28 (NIV) This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
1 Corinthians 10:11-13 (NIV) These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
“Once we entertain this sense of being wronged and injured, we may well feel justified in ‘doing away’ with that person, either through ignoring them, rejecting them, cursing them, or actually physically attacking them. - As soon as we adopt a mindset of being served rather than serving, or of self-importance rather than self-sacrifice, we have moved away from righteousness and moved into wickedness.” What is your response?
Have you thought of your relationship to God and other believers as a covenant relationship? What do you think/feel about that concept?
“If you are not taking seriously that you are coventally commited to these people and are being careless with relationships, or gossipy, or even if you are playing around with secret sin in your personal life, with no regards to the fact you are not just bringing yourself but other in your church into danger, then this is a real wake up call.” Lots of possibly convicting things in that statement. What is your response?
Have you experienced or witnessed a one-sided relationship? What was the outcome?