Sermon Central
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Developing Relationships
Contributed by Horace Wimpey on Jul 11, 2013 (message contributor)
Summary: The writer of Hebrews tells the Jewish people and us that we need to first build a relationship with Jesus then build relationships with each other through ministry, wirship and fellowship.
Developing Relationships
Intro:I found a story about relationships this week that I want to share with you.
76-year-old Bill Baker of London recently wed Edna Harvey. She happened to be his granddaughter’s husband’s mother. That’s where the confusion began, according to Baker’s granddaughter, Lynn. She said, “My mother-in-law is now my step-grandmother. My grandfather is now my step-father-in-law. My mom is my sister-in-law and my brother is my nephew. But even crazier is that I’m now married to my uncle and my own children are my cousins.”
. Relationships can get crazy can’t they?
. The Bible has much to say about relationships and we are going to look at how Christians develop relationships this morning.
. We are back in Hebrews this morning.
. The writer of Hebrews is again driving home the reality that Jesus is and has taken the place of the old sacrificial system that they had been practicing for centuries.
. The covenant that God had made with Abraham and the Jewish people had been fulfilled by the birth, sacrifice, death and resurrection of Jesus.
. Now there was a new covenant.
. Now, the relationship between God and man was on a different level.
. Before, a priest would go before God for them, now they could go themselves.
. As a matter of fact, they had to go themselves. No longer could they depend on a priest to do this.
. The writer covers all of this with them and we come to our scripture this morning that lays out these relationships that God wants Christians to have.
. 19And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.
20By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.
21And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house,
22let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
23Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.
24Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
25And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
. The first thing we see here is that we must:
. Develop A Relationship With Christ.
. Everything is predicated upon this relationship.
. The writer says here that:
. “… because of the blood of Jesus.20By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.
. 22let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
. Our guilty hearts have been sprinkled with the blood of Jesus.
. Our sins are forgiven not by the blood of goats or lambs but by the blood of Jesus Christ.
. People don’t like to talk about the blood much anymore. They say that the blood offends people.
. A lot of preachers don’t like to talk about the blood anymore because the blood offends.
. Folks the blood doesn’t offend, it saves.
. By His wounds, by his blood we are saved.
. What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
. The writer is telling them that they can have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ’s blood that was shed as a sacrifice.
. By his death Jesus gave a new life-giving way, the writer tells them.
. In order for this to happen though there must be a relationship built with Jesus.
. We must know Him, not just know about Him.
. The apostle Paul was standing before King Agrippa defending himself from the Jewish leaders in Acts 26.
. He tells the king that he has done nothing wrong.
. All he has done is to tell everyone that the scriptures have been fulfilled through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
. In the middle of his defense he says this to King Agrippa in verse 20 of chapter 26.
. I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do.
. And prove they have changed; prove they really understand what Jesus did for them through the good things they do.
