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Saturday, December 14, 2013

SATURDAY 12/14/13 Daily Readings for Advent...Advent is for adoring Jesus

SATURDAY 12/14/13 Daily Readings for Advent...Advent is for adoring Jesus


MAKING IT REAL FOR HIS PEOPLE

Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.  —Hebrews 8:6

Christ is the Mediator of a new covenant, according to 
Hebrews 8:6. What does that mean? It means that his 
blood—the blood of the covenant (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 
13:20)—purchased the fulfillment of God’s promises for us.

It means that God brings about our inner transformation by the Spirit of Christ. 

And it means that God works all his transformation in 
us through faith in all that God is for us in Christ. 

The new covenant is purchased by the blood of Christ, 
effected by the Spirit of Christ, and appropriated by faith 
in Christ.

The best place to see Christ working as the Mediator of 
the new covenant is in Hebrews 13:20–21:

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead 
the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of 
the eternal covenant [this is the purchase of the new 
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.

The words “working in us that which is pleasing in his 
sight” describe what happens when God writes the law on 
our hearts in the new covenant. And the words “through 
Jesus Christ” describe Jesus as the Mediator of this glorious work of sovereign grace.

So the meaning of Christmas is not only that God 
replaces shadows with Reality, but also that he takes the 
reality and makes it real to his people. He writes it on our 
hearts. He does not lay his Christmas gift of salvation 
and transformation down for you to pick up in your own 
strength. He picks it up and puts in your heart and in your 
mind, and seals to you that you are a child of God.

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