Day 1 Cardio Training

Today, we are going to start looking at getting focused.
Hebrews 10:12-17 (MSG)
12 As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God 13 and waited for his enemies to cave in. 14 It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process.
15 The Holy Spirit confirms this: 16 This new plan I’m making with Israel isn’t going to be written on paper, isn’t going to be chiseled in stone; This time “I’m writing out the plan in them, carving it on the lining of their hearts.” 17 He concludes, I’ll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins.
We are going to dig a little deeper into the first of our getting focused verses:
Hebrews 10:19 (NIV)
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
Let’s start by talking about the therefore. When you read “therefore” in a passage of scripture, you need to figure out what it is there for. In this case it’s referring back to the verses of our scripture reading. Because of Jesus perfect sacrifice for our sins, God no longer remembers our sins.
Hebrews 10:17 (NIV)
17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”
This idea is one that you must take deep into your disciple’s heart. What Jesus did at the cross was a “perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people”. Because of what Jesus has done, not because of anything that we have done, we can enter into the Most Holy Place. We learn about the Most Holy Place in the book of Exodus. The Most Holy place was where the literal presence of God was. Because of Jesus, we can now be in the literal presence of God. In His presence we can get a Throne Room Perspective.
Ephesians 1:18-20 (NIV)
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
The eyes of our disciple’s heart can be opened so that we can know the Hope to which he has called us to. We can know the riches of His glorious inheritance. We can know the power that at is work in those of us who believe. It is the same power that was at work when Jesus was raised from the dead and seated in the heavenly realms at the right hand of the Father. He has us covered for eternity.
Little boy was staring in awe at a sunset and his mom said to him, Look how pretty the sunset God is painting in the sky for you. And the boy said yeah, wow, and you know he does it all with His left hand. And the Mom said, why do you think God does that with His left hand? And the little boy said, “Well last week in Sunday School we learned that Jesus was sitting on God’s right hand.
When you get a throne room perspective for the day, then you have a completely different way of looking at things that happen throughout the day. Problems become opportunities for God to move, worry and fear can be moved into faith and peace, we can have Hope in situations knowing that He is with us and for us. And we need to understand that our confidence is in Christ.
Ephesians 2:4-6 (NIV)
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
In Christ, we too have been seated with Him in the heavenly realms!
In Christ. God sees and relates to us in Christ. Our confidence to be in the Most Holy Place is not in our own works or performance, it is in Christ.
See, in Christ, by His blood, we have the amazing blessing available to us that we can enjoy the presence of God 24/7
But how much time do we actually spend in His presence? That is a big question that as His disciples you need to ask yourself.
Are you spending time with Him?
What keeps us from taking advantage of the amazing opportunity we have to hang out with Him?
Maybe we struggle like Isaiah does in chapter 6:1-7. When he enters into the presence of God he is overwhelmed by his own unworthiness.
Perhaps, the reality of the presence of God and His holiness causes us to be overwhelmed by the reality of our brokenness. It is like a mirror that puts our sin and brokenness right in our face, and yet if we can just understand that our confidence in being in His presence is in Christ, then we can begin the process of being healed of the mess. Our guilt and shame stop becoming such easy fodder for the evil one to try keep us from the life we have been called to as Jesus disciples.
We are not worthy to be in His presence in our own right, but in Christ we can be there in confidence. I want to encourage you to start everyday by hanging out with God in the Most Holy Place in confidence because of what Jesus has done for you. There is nothing to be afraid of, or ashamed of. God is holy, but in His holiness there is love and acceptance and the power to transform and heal us.