All Things New Pt.II

Pastor Ryan Binkley 

4 minute read

 

This weekend was special for Ellie and me because we believe this new year holds incredible things in store for Create Church. As this new season begins, there are three things Jesus wants us to understand. It’s important for our spiritual growth to receive His righteousness, enter into His presence, and listen to His voice.

  1. Receiving His Righteousness 

This basically means that we are made right with God through faith in Jesus. The book of Hebrews is an interesting book, because it’s one of the few books in the Bible that we don’t know who wrote it. Yet despite its mysteries, Hebrews presents us a simple, profound truth. The Old Covenant was predicated on our own righteousness.

“The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.”

Hebrews 10:1 NLT

It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that we have to earn God’s favor through our actions. But the truth is, we can never be good enough on our own. We all fall short of God’s standard of perfection. That’s where Jesus comes in. He lived a perfect life and took upon Himself the punishment that we deserve for our sin. Hebrews calls Jesus our “perfect High Priest,” the one whose single sacrifice was good for all of time.

When we receive His righteousness, we’re given a new identity as children of God. And the best part? It’s free. All we have to do is accept it. We can’t earn our way into heaven by being good or doing good things – it’s all about Jesus and what He did for us.

  1. Enter into His Presence

It’s easy to feel like God is far away or not paying attention to us, but the truth is that He’s always ready to welcome us. All we have to do is seek Him. This is something we can do through prayer, worship, reading scripture, participating in communion. Regardless of how we come, whenever we put in the effort to be aware of His presence, we receive His power!

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

Hebrews 10:19-22 NLT

  1. Listen to His Voice

I often am asked, “How do I hear God’s voice?” While God can speak however He pleases, He commonly speaks one of three ways:

  1. Scripture – Every time you open the Bible, without fail, God’s voice can be found in those pages. 
  2. People – Oftentimes God will speak to us through a witness, be it a spouse, a friend, or a pastor.
  3. Personal – Jesus can speak personally to you. Whether it’s a booming voice from the sky, a burning bush, or a still small voice, He can speak to you wherever you are. 

It’s important that we take the time to listen and be open to His guidance. This can be tough, because we might not always understand what He’s saying or how He’s leading us. But if we seek Him with an open and willing heart, He’ll show us the way. Listening to His voice means being still and quieting our own thoughts and distractions. It means being willing to follow where He leads, even if it’s not the path we would have chosen for ourselves.

“You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!”

Hebrews 12:24-25 NLT

As your pastor, I’m praying and believing for your new season to be one where Jesus is at the center of your life. I look forward to seeing you soon!