ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS TRUTH
Absolute truth has its foundation in God Himself, because God is truth.
Jesus speaking of the Holy Spirit says in John 16:13
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Praise the God of Truth
Praise God because truth does not change. Praise God the Holy Spirit as the one who reveals truth. Praise God because he has preserved the scriptures, and His word is true.
CONFESSION: Confess your sins to God and receive his continued mercy.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
THANKSGIVING: Giving thanks to God for his specific blessings in our lives.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100
SUPPLICATION: Bringing our requests to God.
- Bring your personal prayer requests to God.
- Pray for Austin and Jenni. Ask God to encourage them and guide them.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Hebrews 8 – New International Version
The High Priest of a New Covenant
8 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said:
“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
The work of Jesus is done, the ministry of Jesus is ongoing. Jesus, unlike human priests (whose work was never finished) “sat down” indicating his ministry on our behalf was finished. As he hung dying on the cross, he literally said, “It is finished.” It would have been confusing to hear a man dying in physical agony say something like that. Maybe they thought they heard him say “I am finished” meaning, “I can’t do this anymore” or “I’m dying.” But what he said indicated that his sacrifice was done, no more need be offered for our sins. He now serves in the heavenly realm as our ongoing mediator of the new covenant in his blood. Our past sin is covered in full and our sins that we continue to commit do not separate us from relationship with God. This all sounds rather complicated, and it is hard to find “normal” words to describe all this. Simply put, our past guilt is forgiven. Our future hope is secure. Our present failures need not drag us down. One day we will have a greater capacity to understand all of this, but the more we try to contemplate and wrestle with this now, the more we will grow in our faith and gratitude.