Listen to Ezra Engle deliver a message about Hebrews 10
Watch the whole service video
The Bad News: We are all sinners
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
-Romans 3:23 (NIV)
The Good News: We can be free
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
-Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)
How?
“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
-Hebrews 10:14 (NIV)
Christ’s sacrifice is a big deal
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
-Hebrews 10:19-22 (NIV)
What is your response?
If you haven’t already prayed to surrender your will and your trust to God through Jesus, that is a good place to start.
If you have already accepted the gift of Jesus, for the forgiveness of sins, but now have developed a guilty conscience, draw near to God in prayer, confess your sin, ask Him to refresh your heart again. Forgive those who have sinned against you in obedience to God, and get ready to prayerfully commune with God today.
The resurrected Jesus explained this about Himself
“He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
-Luke 24:46-47 (NIV)
Who can you tell?
Tell your family, your closest friends, anybody who will listen, and maybe even a few who won’t. It definitely matters to God, so it should matter to you too. If you are a follower of Jesus, but have not yet been baptized, baptism is something God wants those who follow Him to do to make their decision publicly known.
“And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’”
-Acts 22:16 (NIV)
Why does it matter?
God loves us, and we have been separated from a real relationship with Him by our own sin, which we chose with our own free will. The most loving thing we can do for others is to let them know that there is a way to really know and be in a right relationship with God, and to live with courage, free from our natural fear of death. Death is not our end, Jesus overcame death.
What could matter more?
Nothing is more important than this. It’s easy to be distracted from an invisible and omnipresent God, but this is serious.
Serious Warnings:
“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,”
-Hebrews 10:26 (NIV)
“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
-Hebrews 10:31 (NIV)
Encouragement to persevere
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.”
-Hebrews 10:35-39 (NIV)
Your Identity is more important than your abilities.
Jesus redirected his disciples’ focus away from miracles that they were able to ‘perform’ to the miracle of their salvation.
“However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.””
-Luke 10:20 (NIV)
Reflections: rejoice in your belonging to God, not in the powers and abilities God grants to you.
Who you are is more important than what you do.
Who you are comes first, and needs to stay first.
Who God is needs to stay first in our minds as well, more than what He can do.
What is your good news?
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”
-1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
Ezra’s Testimony:
As a child, I learned at an early age that Jesus was son of God, that God created the whole world, and that God loved everyone, including me. I learned that I was a sinner and needed the forgiveness of Jesus to cover my sins, to pay for them once and for all. I knew that my dad had already prayed that prayer, and that he would one day go to heaven. I wanted to go there too, so I prayed to God to enter my heart, confessing my sins and receiving God’s forgiveness at around five years old.
Later on, I learned and understood that those who believe and follow Christ should be baptized, to make our decision to follow Jesus public, so I asked to be baptized in my pre-teen years.
A few years after that, in around 8th grade, I was challenged at a summer youth camp to commit to reading the Bible and pray regularly on my own, not to only listen to youth leaders and pastors as my only form of exposure to God’s word. I did that for 21 days in a row.
Regularly reading the Bible changed so much in my relationship with God. I was learning and growing and had more questions to ask. Whenever I met a Christian leader, I had something to say, something to be curious about, something to discuss and also to share.
I went to friends youth groups and events as well as the events my home church hosted. Eventually I graduated from high school and from youth group. I was a little sad that adult church didn’t really seem as fun, and I wasn’t a big fan of the music there either.
As a young adult, I wanted to be able to go to camp, because it was such a pivotal place where I learned that young adults faith can be expressed differently than older adults, and God accepts them too, and doesn’t scowl at their loud music. I became a counselor, and at the age of 21 I married Karyn, and we discovered that God wanted to use us in youth ministry, so that we could help teens discover their own unique way to connect with God and discover their purpose and value.
Karyn and I also foster parented two children: Martin, and Ashlei, one after the other, then we had 5 children of our own, Josiah, Noah, Zion, Eden, and Gideon. We could see the importance of modeling healthy relationships with each other in front of children, living out our faith and ministry while living life, through challenges and successes, pain and joy.
Many years later, I still see the teen years as such an important time to connect with God and to be exposed to His Word in a fresh new way and in a different context, away from the normal distractions of daily life. Many teenagers are really thinking deeply about how they want to live differently than their parents, as well as deciding what they would want to hold on to in the future.
Now I feel compelled to continue encouraging connections between all people who love God, so that His kingdom can work in cooperation with His will on earth as it is already done in Heaven. I feel like our lives should grow to be more peaceful, meaningful, healthier, less stressed and full of purpose and joy if we can prayerfully do it right. I believe that is God’s will for all of us. We will be healthier, well rested, mentally and emotionally calm if we just let go of our own ways and let Him lead us, and let the world’s temporary worries fade into the background noise.
I’m still regularly reading the Bible now, about one chapter a day, and as time passes by, I can see why it is called the living word. As I continue living, and with the passage of time, The Word hits differently to my ears. A lot of the developed habits and disciplines I have gained have helped me to draw nearer to God, and have also helped me to be more forgiving and patient with myself and with others.
I still have failures. I still mess up and need to turn around and ask for forgiveness. My family and I still need to be lifted up in prayer, I still repeatedly fall short of what I am made for, but God continues to love me anyways. God cares enough to not leave me in my sin and selfishness, He disciplines and corrects me with so much patience. That’s my good news.
Thank God for His unfailing love!
Challenge 1: Ask someone to share their story with you
Make a commitment today to reach out to someone and ask them to tell you their story. Pray for guidance, write down their name, then reach out.
Challenge 2: Ask someone if they would like to hear you share your story, and don’t forget to share your good news too.
Make a commitment today to reach out to someone and tell them your story. Pray for guidance, write down their name, then reach out.
Prayer
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