Devotions

“Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation” (Hebrews 9:11).

Just as the high priest ascended the stairs to the holy place on the Day of Atonement, our High Priest Jesus ascended into the heavenly tabernacle. Indeed, John describes seeing Jesus in his priestly robe: “Clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band” (Revelation 1:13).

Jesus ascended into glory as our High Priest to make intercession for us. He enjoys the glory he deserves but he also does a work on our behalf. The psalmist shares in Psalm 68: “You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men … Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!” (Psalm 68:18-19). He is saying, “Our Savior has given us every gift and benefit we need to live in freedom!”

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus’ work in heaven is all for us: “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24). “He always lives to make intercession for [us]” (7:25). Christ does it all for us, his children.

What exactly does this phrase mean, “He lives to make intercession for us”? Some may imagine Jesus standing before the Father pleading with him to show us mercy when we fail. But Christ’s intercession for us has to do with Satan’s accusations against us. You see, the devil comes to God’s throne to accuse us of every failure and transgression, demanding “justice.” But Jesus immediately steps in, demanding that Satan keeps his hands off us.

Jesus also intercedes in our own hearts, reconciling us with the Father. He reminds us that we are forgiven and we can trust God’s faithfulness to provide us with all the power and strength we need.

Because of Christ’s intercession, you can say, “I may have battles in the flesh, but I know what Jesus did for me. Sin can no longer hold me because he is my High Priest.”

“[The] Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith” (Romans 9:30).

The heart of every follower of Jesus hungers to be holy before God — free from sin, victorious over flesh, pure and spotless before the Lord. This desire is planted in the hearts of man, an innate longing to live right. People of every religion — and even no religion — are moved to live well, love others, be the best person they can be. Some obviously do the opposite, but they still are conscious of a deep desire to do right.

We all fall short of this desire because of our sinful nature. For believers, failure to live in a way that honors God can crush the spirit. For nonbelievers, the spirt of this world can darken the mind to any sense of rightness.

The desire to live uprightly is behind the meaning of the word righteousness — to be in right standing with God. This means you live with right motives, emotions and behavior. It takes what is wrong in us — what is out of sync with God — and establishes right alignment with his purposes.

Is righteousness right behavior? Not necessarily. You can do the right thing while having wrong motives; in fact, some Christians do right things but are motivated by a pharisaical spirit. Their outward behavior is right but inwardly they are “dead man’s bones.” A lot of people seek righteousness with great passion but fail to attain it.

The key is justification. We know Jesus paid the price for our sins through his sacrifice on the cross to bring us into right standing once and for all. If we are not justified, we can never be righteous no matter how many good works we do or how many hours we spend in prayer.

And then there is sanctification. Both justification and sanctification are essential to our righteousness. Justification positions us as righteous and sanctification is the process of experiencing God’s righteousness functioning in our daily lives. This means we begin the ongoing process of walking uprightly before God. 

Jesus is your source for both justification and sanctification through his gift of grace. He is your power, your newness of life, so let him relieve you of any pressure you may have felt to be righteous. Trust in him alone for your victory!

One of the most devastating enemies of our faith is the matter of offense. At some point, you will be offended by someone and you will offend someone, not wanting to. Two responses are required: When you are offended, will you have the faith and obedience to say, “I forgive you of this”? And when you offend another, will you have the humility to say, “Please forgive me”?

When you have been hurt, Jesus has direction for your pain. In talking with the disciples, Jesus told them, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! … If your brother sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke 17:1, 4). It was at this point that the disciples cried, “Increase our faith” (17:5).

Faith is absolutely essential for the healing of offenses. Without healing, offenses can become unforgiveness, which will cause death to spread to every part of your life.

In the case of offending another, the disciples were raised under a law that said you love the ones who love you and you hate your enemies. God understands any offense we endure and he does not make light of it. Jesus brought a new message of forgiveness, without limitation, and the forgiveness we give to others cannot compare with the unconditional forgiveness that we receive from our Father.

Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:11-13).  You will never be more like God than when you forgive in faith and it is the divine flow of the spirit of God that can rebuild you and allow you to forgive.

_{Claude Houde is the lead pastor of Eglise Nouvelle Vie (New Life Church) in Montreal, Canada. Under his leadership New Life Church has grown from a handful of people to more than 3500 in a part of Canada with few successful Protestant churches.}

As we read Paul’s letters to the Ephesians, we see how he compliments them at length. He addresses them as “the faithful in Christ Jesus … blessed … with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:1-3).

Paul adds that they are a forgiven people, and he prays they would have “the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know … what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe” (1:17-19).

In the book of Revelation, Jesus also compliments the Ephesian Christians, “I know your works, your labor, your patience” (Revelation 2:2). In other words, “I know all the good things going on in your lives. You are diligent in good works, and that is very commendable.”

Jesus continues to compliment them, pointing out, “You cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars” (2:2). He is saying, in essence, “You hate sin with a passion, and you don’t tolerate it in your life, your home or your church. You have not been tossed about by all the latest teachings of the flesh, and you’re able to rightly judge false teachers and false prophets.”

It is obvious that the Ephesians are not just a bunch of novices or lukewarm saints. Yet Jesus points out that something is deeply wrong when he says, “I see all your works — your hatred for sin, your love for truth, your righteous courage — and yet somehow in all your labors you have allowed your affection for me to wane” (see Revelation 2:4).

This should grip your soul! As you faithfully labor for him and practice righteous living, ask the Lord, “Jesus, have I lost my first affection for you?” A good measure of this might be found by a close look at what holds your heart right now. How do you spend your time? What robs you of quality time alone with him? What do you make a priority?

Go back to your first love today! Ask your Father for grace and strength to guard your affection for Christ, your Lord and Savior.

It is wise to remember that no matter how pure, holy and spotless you feel or how secure you think you are, you are not above being tempted! When you love Jesus, when he is the savior of your heart and ruler of your will, you are a marked person in hell. Satan will try to cut you down to the ground and it is a wise believer who realizes this in order to be equipped for the battle.

Paul explains why God permits the devil to try us so severely, “We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9). Satan’s purpose is to engulf believers in guilt, fear and condemnation and make them discouraged and downcast, but the Lord takes care of his children.

David said, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive” (Psalm 124:2-3).

David was sorely tempted, fell into adultery, lied and murdered an innocent man. When the prophet Nathan exposed him, Satan surely was convinced that David was down for the count. He expected the king to throw up his hands and exclaim, “What’s the use? I have disgraced God and committed the very sins I’ve preached against. God can never use me now!”

But listen to David’s cries after he repented. “The Lord has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death” (Psalm 118:18). He said, “I was tempted and tried, but God would not turn me over to Satan’s power!”

Beloved, if the devil comes at you with powerful temptations, it is not always because you have sin in your life. He could be attacking you because you have turned to the Lord and he is trying to destroy your faith. Let the following scripture encourage your heart:

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).