For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Spoiler Alert. One of the most disturbing scenes in movie history was in Psycho, when we discover that the mother that Norman Bates talked about the whole time was really dead and mummified. The author of Hebrews would have found it instructive as he described the same thing in spiritual terms to his audience of Jewish Christians. The temptation was to return to Judaism to escape persecution but there is a problem. The works that were once vital to the life of the covenant nation, Israel, were now dead works. They could pretend they were alive but it would be similar to what Norman Bates did.
Come to Cape Community Church tomorrow to see the dead works that occur in our churches today because they do not know who Jesus is and what his death and resurrection mean. They will sing praises to Jesus for his death and resurrection and then follow it up with a sermon telling us to be good so God will approve of us and let us into heaven. Those are dead works from the pit. Let’s learn who Jesus is, God the Son, and what his death and resurrection mean. We are counted as righteous, washed by the blood of the Lamb!
Dear Lord, thank you for the atonement that means we are alive and can put to death our old works. Help us to celebrate that glorious truth tomorrow. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church