Today is the last Sunday for the Redemptive family devotional series. Our Redemptive Family series has encouraged and challenged us. We have been given this time and this opportunity to understand the importance of the family. And many of us have realized that we need the assistance of all our church members; different age groups and cultural groups in Christ. As our family of God, I believe that our purpose here is to build a good and godly church today. The question is what we can do better to serve God’s purpose?
1. We must accept change for our Lord Jesus
Hebrews 10:11 says, “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.” We know from the Old Testament that before our Lord Jesus was sent, believers of God were told to keep all the laws that God commanded. They offered their sacrifices to God for their sins to be forgiven. However, Jesus sacrificed himself for people to be forgiven. He fulfilled all of God’s requirements for us. After the sacrifice and the resurrection of Jesus, believers of Christ still fulfill God’s law through Christ. The change we need to accept for our Lord Jesus is known as the grace of God. As children of God, we worship God through our faith in Christ, not through sacrifices as believers in the Old Testament did. Also, we will endure hardships and need to take responsibility of supporting other believers, because we are children of God.
2. We must each do what is right
As members of the family of God, we are responsible for looking after our own church members so that they can continue to follow God themselves. Thanks to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are saved and given a new life, so we need to share this grace with others through our church families. Our reward is that as believers we will be able to enter the Most Holy Place through Jesus our Lord. Hebrews 10:19-20 says, “Therefore, brothers, 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.” Hebrews 9:28 says, “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people.” Jesus died once to save his people from their sins, so that believers could come to God through Christ. Our job with the help of our church family is to help others to come to God through Christ our Lord. Through Jesus, we are given a sincere and trusting heart (v. 22). This means that even though we may have very difficult times in this life and in this world, we are as believers in Christ given hope through his grace.
3. We still need the help of our family in God
We cannot be a redemptive family on our own. We need the help our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all here on the same boat. And our Lord Jesus is our captain. He has been taking us to the place where we are to live with him forever. Hebrews 10:24 says, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” This means that we are to help and support each other with God’s love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. But let us encourage one another-all the more as you see the Day approaching.” We don’t know when our Lord is coming back. We know he will come. As a family of God, we know that we sometimes have disagreement and fight, but we can overcome because we are family. In the meantime, we need to work toward helping each other and we need to expand our support to our wider community. We need to encourage each other to continue to live and work for God. Because we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
Reflection
Rev Dr Je Cheol Cook
Hebrews 10:11 says, “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.” We know from the Old Testament that before our Lord Jesus was sent, believers of God were told to keep all the laws that God commanded. They offered their sacrifices to God for their sins to be forgiven. However, Jesus sacrificed himself for people to be forgiven. He fulfilled all of God’s requirements for us. After the sacrifice and the resurrection of Jesus, believers of Christ still fulfill God’s law through Christ. The change we need to accept for our Lord Jesus is known as the grace of God. As children of God, we worship God through our faith in Christ, not through sacrifices as believers in the Old Testament did. Also, we will endure hardships and need to take responsibility of supporting other believers, because we are children of God.
2. We must each do what is right
As members of the family of God, we are responsible for looking after our own church members so that they can continue to follow God themselves. Thanks to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are saved and given a new life, so we need to share this grace with others through our church families. Our reward is that as believers we will be able to enter the Most Holy Place through Jesus our Lord. Hebrews 10:19-20 says, “Therefore, brothers, 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.” Hebrews 9:28 says, “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people.” Jesus died once to save his people from their sins, so that believers could come to God through Christ. Our job with the help of our church family is to help others to come to God through Christ our Lord. Through Jesus, we are given a sincere and trusting heart (v. 22). This means that even though we may have very difficult times in this life and in this world, we are as believers in Christ given hope through his grace.
3. We still need the help of our family in God
We cannot be a redemptive family on our own. We need the help our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all here on the same boat. And our Lord Jesus is our captain. He has been taking us to the place where we are to live with him forever. Hebrews 10:24 says, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” This means that we are to help and support each other with God’s love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. But let us encourage one another-all the more as you see the Day approaching.” We don’t know when our Lord is coming back. We know he will come. As a family of God, we know that we sometimes have disagreement and fight, but we can overcome because we are family. In the meantime, we need to work toward helping each other and we need to expand our support to our wider community. We need to encourage each other to continue to live and work for God. Because we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
Reflection
- What have you decided to do as a result of this devotional series?
- What can we do/what can we change to support the new direction this family is taking?
- What else have been prompted about this week?
Rev Dr Je Cheol Cook