Christian Daily

Psalm 108:12, 13

He still has your back. :)

Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Chron. 16:8–36; Ps. 32:1–5; 51:1–6, 17; Phil. 4:8; Rev. 4:9–11; 5:9–13.

Memory Text:

 

“O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth” (Psalm 96:1).

      King David’s life is recorded in the Bible for many reasons: not only does an important part of Israelite history center around his life and reign, but we can learn many spiritual lessons from him, both from his good deeds and his bad.

This week we will start out using some examples from David and his life in order to delve more into the question of worship: what it means, how we should do it, and what it should do for us. For in David we can see many examples of worship and song and praise. These things were a crucial part of his life and of his experience with the Lord.

Thus, it must be with us, as well, especially if we constantly remember that the first angel’s message is a call to worship. What does it mean “to worship”? How do we do it? Why do we do it? What role does music play in worship? What distinguishes true worship from false worship?

These all are themes that we will touch on in various ways this quarter as we heed the call: “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand” (Ps. 95:6, 7).

Taken from the Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, July 30, 2011

Moses’ desire to see God’s glory was not one of curiosity or presumption but came from a deep heart hunger to sense God’s presence after such blatant apostasy. Though Moses had not partaken of their sin, he was impacted by it. We do not live in isolation from other members of our church. What impacts one impacts others, a point we should never forget.

Look carefully at Exodus 33:13. Moses says to God that he, Moses, wanted to “know Him.” Despite all that the Lord had done, Moses still sensed his own need, his own weakness, his own helplessness, and thus he wanted a closer walk with the Lord. He wanted to know better the God upon whom He was so dependant. How interesting that, centuries later, Jesus said, “ ‘And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent’ ” (John 17:3). He wanted to see the glory of God, something that would make him realize even more his own sinfulness and helplessness and, hence, his utter dependence upon the Lord. After all, look at what Moses had been called to do; look at the challenges he had to face. No wonder he felt this need to know God.

Here, too, we come to a crucial point about worship. Worship should be about God; it should be about us in humility and faith and submission, seeking to know more about Him and His “way” (Exod. 33:13).

How well do you know the Lord? More important, what choices can you make that will enable you to know Him better than you do? How can you learn to worship in a way that will give you a better appreciation of God and His glory?

Taken from the Sabbath School lesson quarterly, July 7, 2011

I love you too, Lord, from the bottom of my heart. Have me, it’s the least I can give to repay You. May I be saved to be in Your kingdom forever, in Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, as we continue in the study of Your word, may we receive beneficial understanding of the saving work You have done for us out of love and grace. Forgive us of our sins, iniquity, and unrighteousness and please change us into the likeness of your Son. By beholding You in Your word may we die to self and surrender fully to You, accepting the profound freedom that You have for us. We thank You in advance in Christ’s name, Amen.

 

Check out the previous 2-Minute Bible studies here

In the last study we saw that in Hebrews 8:1-2, Paul basically says that by leaving our past lives to follow Christ, we infinitely traded up. In verses 3-6 he now explains exactly why turning to Jesus is such a major upgrade. Let’s take a look!

 

³ Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. ⁴ If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. Hebrews 8:3-4, NIV

 

The job of the high priest is to offer gifts and sacrifices to God. Jesus, being our Heavenly High Priest, does the same thing. Jesus never officially served as a priest while on earth because He didn’t fit the Levitical requirement. He wasn’t born of the tribe of Levi, but this doesn’t mean that He did not perform any priestly duty while He was here on earth.

 

First of all, He made the greatest sacrifice on the cross by offering up Himself so that we can be cleansed and forgiven of our sins. Before He died, He prayed a special prayer for His disciples and all believers in John 17. The passage is known as the “High Priestly Prayer.”

 

⁵ They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” ⁶ But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. Hebrews 8:5-6, NIV

 

The original earthly priests worked in the earthly sanctuary, which is an exact physical copy of the sanctuary in Heaven. Although it was an exact replica in how it was built, the earthly sanctuary was not intended to be perfect or salvific. The key difference between it and the Heavenly sanctuary it copied was that it could not help save us!

Now that Paul has finished discussing how Christ’s ministry is superior to the earthly priests’, he now begins to explain why Christ’s ministry is better. His statement is simple; Christ’s ministry is better than that of the earthly priests’ because the new covenant is better than the old one, and it “is founded on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). The old covenant was based on the law, and the new covenant is based on grace. The old covenant demanded righteousness but it was unable to provide righteousness. The law can never make you perfect! However, the new covenant gives grace to those who are unrighteous and sanctifies us to cultivate righteousness within us. It is complete and sufficient; it calls us to be righteous but it also grows righteousness in us by grace! It’s perfect! In the same way, Christ’s ministry, which is based on this new covenant, is perfect. Christ Himself is also perfect! This is why He’s better.

 

So what does all this mean? It means that hope is not lost for you. Whatever you struggle with, whatever besets you is weaker than Christ and cannot stand as long as you call on Christ and accept His atoning sacrifice for you. Remember that Jesus “is able to save completelythose who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25). Jesus is alive forever and He is more powerful than any mess you have done or are doing. Stop. Pray. Ask Him to cleanse you and no matter how guilty you may still feel, rest assured that Christ, in the new covenant, has forgiven you of your sins. Be blessed.

 

Source: MacDonald, William. Believer’s Bible Commentary (1995).