Daily Devotionals

It's Not Supposed to Be This Way Week 3: Thursday

So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. Hebrews 9:11

There was a special day for the people of Israel that we read about in Scripture called the Day of Atonement. On this day, the High Priest would walk into the most sacred area of the tabernacle or temple called the Most Holy Place, where God's presence was. When the High Priest walked into the Holy of Holies, he would offer a sacrifice for his sins and the sins of all of the people of Israel. On this day, the High Priest approached God on behalf of the sins of the entire Israelite nation. He became a mediator, or intercessor, for the Israelites. Because of the High Priest's intercession, the Israelites could receive God's forgiveness. For years and years, this was the routine, but God knew there was a better way. That is why He sent Jesus and changed everything.

 Hebrews 11 explains that when Jesus came, He also became the High Priest. The writer of Hebrews said it this way: "So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come" (verse 11). The writer of Hebrews continues, "He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world" (verse 11). Because Christ is our great high priest, He is our mediator. That means He restores the broken relationship between God and humanity because of sin. Because of the blood and sacrifice of Jesus, "He mediates a new covenant between God and people so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them" (verse 15). Because of Jesus, God sees His perfect, sinless sacrifice instead of our sin when we place our faith in Him.

Jesus changed everything. He made it possible for us to have a relationship with God the Father by being a mediator between us and God the Father. Because He is our Great High Priest, we do not have to have a high priest intercede on our behalf. Jesus has already done that for us. Praise God for the gift of Jesus' death and resurrection on the cross.

Moving toward action

Write a prayer of thanksgiving to God. Thank Him for Jesus. Thank Him that Jesus has become our High Priest who has interceded on behalf of our sins. Thank Him that we do not have to offer sacrifices because Jesus has become the sacrifice on our behalf. God has been so good to us, friends. Use this time to express your gratitude.

Going Deeper

Hebrews 9:11-28 (NLT)

"So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. 12 With his own blood-not the blood of goats and calves-he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people's bodies from ceremonial impurity. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 15 That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

16 Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. 17 The will goes into effect only after the person's death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.

18 That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. 19 For after Moses had read each of God's commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God's law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool. 20 Then he said, "This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you." 21 And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. 22 In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.

23 That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.

24 For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. 25 And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. 26 If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.

27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, 28 so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him."