Asian American Christian Fellowship, November 6, 2002

• It’s important to read in context...for example, the Jews went back to the rites and rituals in the Old Testament after Jesus died for them…
  1. but Jesus is better than temples/rites, he is supreme
  2. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice- animals didn’t take care of it – they are reminders that there is death for sin
  3. Jesus is the once and for all sacrifice

Leviticus 16 = laws for atonement in the old old days
• High Priest Aaron was required to go through a cleansing or else he is struck dead…which was why the Isrealites tied a rope and bell to him so in case he was unclean and died, they can remove his body from the Holiest of Holy…doesn’t that scare you? If you were Aaron, don’t you think you woulda been shaking in your boots? Er…sandals?…feet? you’d be shaking in your feet? What the socks and shoes?
  
  1. Let us draw near in faith (confidently) to God
     1. Because we have been cleansed with Jesus’ blood
     2. Because God is the best
        • draw near in holiness – you can’t just come as you are – you come into the presence of God
     
     
  2. Hold fast to your confession of your hope
     1. It’s easy for short term faith, but can you last forty years?
     2. Walk faithfully and never waver.
     
     
  3. Let us consider how to stimulate each other to love and good deeds
     1. The goal of going to church is not in faithful attendance, but to encourage one another to love and to do good deeds (but be careful, this does not mean that you are saved by good deeds. You are saved by Jesus so that you may do good deeds. Sound familiar?)
     2. When was Church about what you want? It’s about what God wants
        • life is about others…life is about the Bible…life is about the Gospel…do you see “me” in any of these?…
     3. JOY = Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last
     4. Think about how to love and how to encourage others to have a passion for God
     5. When this is your motivation to go to church, you’d go to church because you want to.
  
  
  • verse 26: If you continue to sin willfully, you’re fried
    • Did you just insult the spirit of grace? Um. Yeah.
    • If you know what you OUGHT to do…and you DON’T…you’re screwed
      • Because you trampled underfoot the Son of God…and the blood that made you clean, you claim is unclean…
      • so you better be careful – “vengeance is mine, I will repay.” And you know what God did to those who made him mad? They wandered in the desert for forty years and it wasn’t because the men refused to stop and ask for directions.
  • verse 32: When you first became a believer, you went through whatever the world threw at you for Christ
    • People came in and took past Christian’s possessions solely because they were Christians…what did they say to that?
      • “Go ahead, take it, I have something better…and ETERNAL
    • verse 35: therefore, don’t throw away your confidence
      • the world should manifestly see in your life that God is the best and the only.
    
    How much do you live knowing and recognizing that Jesus died for you and is coming again? others have done it, Jesus did it, you can do it