From Sunday: July 10th

This past Lord's Day morning, we looked at 1 John 3:4-10. Here John shows us how habitual and perpetual sin is incongruous with the new life we have in Christ Jesus. Christ came to bear away our sins upon the cross and to destroy the insidious works of the Devil. Because we have victory in Christ, because Christ has translated us out of the kingdom dominated by Satan and his rebellion against God and into his own kingdom wherein dwells righteousness, we must be those who put sin to death and raise up righteousness to new life in our mortal bodies. We do this by the indwelling power of the Spirit, demonstrating by our lives the reality of the radical change that the triune God has planned, accomplished and applied in us.

Later that evening, we regathered to study Deuteronomy 18:1-8. Moses provides additional instructions for the Levitical priesthood. As always, Old Testament teaching on priests is designed to draw our minds higher than the mortals to which it is addressed and to attain thoughts of our great and perfect high priest, Jesus Christ. He is the pure and perfect sacrifice who stands in the presence of God interceding on our behalf and ministering the benefits of redemption that he has secured by his finished work. By such, he calls us to delight in him and serve him with gratitude in our whole life.