HeBrews: A Better Blend
Last Monday in our study of the book of Hebrews entitled HeBrews: A Better Blend, we considered five verses in Hebrews chapter 2 that spoke of The Great Exchange. Jesus giving His life to pay the penalty/fine/debt you and I owed for our disobedience. In return, we are given the holiness and right standing before God that He had before dying on the cross and now has since His resurrection and ascension into heaven.
Allow me to show you this using a few verses, mostly from outside of Hebrews. I’m going to ask you to fill in the blanks of these verses, so grab your Bible (NIV) and let’s get started.
- Psalm 139:1–2: “O Lord, you have searched me and ___________________ ___________________________ ______________________.” God knows you inside and out—completely.
- Romans 3:23: “For ___________________ have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All means you. All means me. None of us measure up to the perfection of God. No one. Our rebellion and disobedience to God’s commands is sin.
- Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is ________________________, but the ____________________ of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rebellion and disobedience have consequences, and the consequences according to God are death—separation from God forever and ever.
- Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates His own ______________________ for ______________ in this; while we were ________________________ sinners, Christ died for us.” God loved you and me so much that He didn’t want us to be separated from Him forever. Since our rebellion required a payment by death, God sent Jesus to die on the cross in your place, paying the fine that you owed for your rebellion and disobedience. He did this long before you ever realized you needed Him to be the boss, the king, and the ruler of your life.
- Romans 10:9: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and _________________________ in your ____________________ that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Jesus did the hard work. He died a horrible death on a cross to pay the fine you and I owed for our rebellion and disobedience. Each of us must ask Him to forgive our rebellion and disobedience and allow His death to pay the penalty for our sin.
- Romans 10:13: “For ____________________________ who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Anyone who sincerely and honestly asks Jesus to come into their heart and be their best friend will find that He is faithful to do that.
- Hebrews 7:25: “Therefore He is able to save __________________________ those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to ______________________ for them.” Once you ask Jesus to come into your heart and live, He will not only enable you to live a godly life; He will also go to God on your behalf, seeking His best for your life.
Have you ever asked Jesus to come into your heart and be your very best friend and the companion who never leaves you? If not, today can be the day! Right now, as you sit before Him, perhaps you recognize that you have never taken the first step of asking Him to come into your heart and change your life. If you would like to do that, I encourage you to pray this prayer or something similar:
“Dear Jesus, I realize You died on the cross to pay the fine for my sin. I know You rose from the grave to give me life forever with You in heaven and You in my heart right here on earth. Please forgive me for my rebellion and disobedience. I ask You to come into my heart and be my forever-friend. Help me to live in a way that is pleasing to You. Thank you, Jesus, for never giving up on me. I love You. Amen.
Dear friend, if you prayed that prayer and made those words your very own, Jesus now lives in your heart. You never have to ask Him to come into your heart again because He will never, ever leave you. Having Jesus in your heart does not mean life will always be easy. It does mean that He will be with you to guide you and help you through whatever God allows in your life.
MEDITATION MOMENT: Share with us about your salvation experience. Include what brought you to the realization you needed Jesus in your life. Who was influential in helping you get to that point? Do you remember where you were and what date this occurred on? Did someone lead you in prayer or were you alone? How did you feel at that time? Write as much or as little as you like.
