Serve the Living God
APPLICATION ARTICLE
Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas
The book of Hebrews is a book that concentrates on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We learn about the benefits of Jesus’ sacrifice, His perfection and sinless life which qualified Him to serve as our great High Priest. By His sacrifice, the new covenant, which we are under today, was established. God grants forgiveness of our sins based upon the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. We are reconciled to the Father through the obedience of the Son of God. While the book of Hebrews concentrates on the superiority of Christ and the blessings of the new covenant, it also reminds us that we are called to serve.
Jesus is the perfect sinless example who sympathizes with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15). His life is the essence of obedience. The author reminds us of His humility and submission in saying, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered,” (Hebrews 5:8, NASB). Jesus Christ dedicated Himself to serving God – even at the cost of His own life. He offered His blood to initiate the new covenant which God promised (Hebrews 9:16-18).
For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. (Hebrews 9:16-18)
Jesus’ sacrifice had been brought near to God by His blood, whereby we are cleansed from sin and called to a life of service!
How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)
God equips us to do His will and to please Him! The covenant that Christ brought into effect calls us into a life of service to the Lord.
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)
We are able to serve God because our consciences have been cleansed from sin. We are free from the guilt and burden of sin. The new covenant promises our sins will be remembered no more (Hebrews 8:12). They are no longer held against us! Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2), but under the new covenant, because we are forgiven of sin, we are no longer separated from Him. Jesus was perfect, undefiled, and separate from sinners (Hebrews 7:26) – that also describes the Christian who has been forgiven of sins! We have received the atonement through Christ and are therefore one with God. Sin no longer is a stumbling block between us and God. Now we can serve!
Since we stand in a right condition before God, we can approach God to serve Him. God is ready to aid us, granting mercy and grace in times of weakness and temptation (Hebrews 4:15-16). Yet, we are able to approach the throne of Jehovah with confidence. We can come before His presence, waiting for His command. Hebrews 1:14 describes the angels as ministering spirits who minister to those who will inherit eternal salvation. The angels continually stand before God’s throne, seeing His face, waiting to minister.
See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 18:10)
As those who have been cleansed from sin, we have the unique benefit of coming before the throne of God to receive the mercy we need. Yet, that is not the only reason we go before God’s throne. Our purpose is two-fold: find the mercy of the King, but also to kneel in service to our King.
The apostle Paul wrote a beautiful prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. He encouraged the saints to not lose heart, despite the tribulations Paul faced. Why was Paul willing to endure those hardships? He did it to serve the Lord’s church. He served God and said, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father” (Ephesians 3:14). Approaching God’s throne is an act of confident submission, expressing our attitude of service.
By the atoning death of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the new covenant, our conscience is clean and we are to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14). What should our service look like? First, we should exhort one another to not lose heart and to continue to believe in God (Hebrews 3:13). Some may start well, confessing their faith in the Son of God, but then turn away, forsaking and despising the blood of the covenant. We have a duty to help and encourage those who are weak. It is not something to be put off, but should be done “today,” day after day – as long as it is called today. Sin can and will creep in. It will harden and destroy the hearts and souls of believers. We must be on the offensive, reminding brethren to keep the faith firm until the end..
We may serve God through stirring up the brethren to love and good works (Hebrews 10:23-24). Some Christians had begun to forsake the Lord and quit assembling with fellow believers. Lackadaisical Christianity is foreign to the Scriptures. The Lord expects us to stimulate each other in the Lord’s Church. We should not attack one another, but need to help each other improve. We cannot remain stagnant, or else we will need to start all over again (Hebrews 5:11-14). When Christians begin to distance themselves from the flock and quit assembling with others, it may be too late! Promote love among the brethren, encourage Christians to do more. We should encourage one another to serve. Whether it be visiting orphans and widow (James 1:27), or leading the congregation in worship, praise, and prayer; there is something for you to do in serving the Lord. Allow others to stimulate you and push you beyond your comfort levels, and you, in turn, encourage others to step up and become what they ought to be in service to God.
Thirdly, our service to God cannot get messy and entangled with sin. The Hebrew writer exhorts us to endure and put sin aside, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1). We must remain vigilant and faithful as we serve the Lord – that requires endurance. The race is not momentary, but throughout our entire life. Our heart, purpose, mind and goal should be wholly dedicated to Christ. We are to learn obedience, just as Christ did (Hebrews 5:8). Temptation and sin may be in your life – double down and renew yourself. Depend on your brethren to encourage you. One of the biggest lies the devil wants you to believe is that others will not forgive you, but will only judge you. Don’t believe him!
One final act of service we must offer to the Lord is the sacrifice of praise: “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased,” (Hebrews 13:15-16). We should offer up the sacrifice of our lips by offering prayers of praise, adoration, and thanksgiving to God and singing the praises of joy for salvation. We cannot neglect doing good to one another, nor should we neglect the worship of our God in heaven. The Lord is pleased with us when we do such things, worshiping Him in spirit and in truth.
Through the sacrificial death of Jesus and the establishment of the new covenant by His blood, we can serve God. However, our service is not in vain: we have hope. Believers are exhorted to remain faithful, because there is a promised rest awaiting us (Hebrews 4:1). The life of a Christian is one of service and work, requiring endurance to remain faithful, culminating in rest in the presence of God (Hebrews 4:9-11). Diligence is required, lest we turn to disobedience and sin.
Christ offered Himself on the cross, was raised from the dead, and ascended to heaven to serve as our High Priest. He is our forerunner. He endured the same race we are in—He has received His reward; the hope of receiving our eternal reward is set before us, if we will endure to the end.
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:19-20)
Christians, we have the blessed hope of receiving a glorious crown once this life is over. We are called to serve God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2). We pour ourselves out; our heart is tested, our mind is pushed, our will is defined. We must be instructed, disciplined, and exercise diligence; but it will be worth it. Christ died in service to the Father, so we, who were dead in sin, might live to serve God. He has entered beyond the veil into the presence of God. May we serve in this hope, that we too will come into the presence of God eternally.
18.01.01 | GROW magazine
