City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

¹¹ Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. ¹² But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ¹³ There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. ¹⁴ For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. ¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says,

¹⁶ “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” ¹⁷ Then he says, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” ¹⁸ And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.

¹⁹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. ²⁰ By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. ²¹ And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, ²² let 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.

²³ Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

Hebrews 10:11-23 (NLT)

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s scriptures give us a background to the boldness we have in Christ. Our ability to boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place (Hebrews 10:19) is predicated upon Christ’s atonement for our sin and the new covenant God has made with us. 

These verses show us that if sin causes separation with God resulting in guilt and shame, how much more does Christ’s single sacrifice make us at peace with God, empowered to be holy, resulting in blazing boldness?! 

Boldness blossoms as we embrace the truth of the gospel. It is only in accepting the finished work of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, that we can ever truly be at peace with God, others, and ourselves. As we learn to trust this truth, we begin to embody our new nature in Christ, which allows us to walk in holiness, which is what gives us the boldness to approach God’s throne of grace and proclaim this truth to others. 

This holy boldness is not based on our own merit or lack thereof. It is based solely on the finished work of Christ, and that is exactly why we can be bold without wavering–because boldness stems from Christ our solid Rock. 

Application

Are you experiencing shame because of something you have said or done? That’s totally normal. Sin causes separation and shame. However, the gospel accounts for our sin and empowers us to be holy and bold. 

By embracing the gospel, you are no longer under the penalty of sin and shame. Christ totally frees us from the clutches of sin and has given us the Holy Spirit to make us holy. As you embrace that truth, watch boldness blossom in your life. As it does, you will not be able to keep the truth of the Gospel to yourself. It will spill out of your life and into everyone around you. 

Prayer

Father God, thank You so much for all You have done to bring me back to You and make me holy. I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. Old things have passed away and You make everything new (2 Cor. 5:17). Gracious Lord Jesus, how I praise You for Your finished work! In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.