For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.  Then I said, “See, God, I have come to do your will, O God  (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).” When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law),  then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second.  And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. [NRSV]

Here the Good News:

While we were still sinning, God loved us. Sending Christ to make us whole.

The Core of this passage from Hebrews is found in two parts:

• a. It is impossible for us to eradicate of sin
• b. Jesus does what is impossible for us to do, on our behalf

Grace:  God loves us, God hopes we will complete the love, Offers us Faith, We trust, love complete.

Sanctification:

God sanctifies us through the body of Jesus

Sanctifying Grace

Through the body

• Before we were born God knows us. God is working prophylactically on our behalf.
• Before we have any responsibility of sinning, we have God’s helping grace.
• It is God choosing for us to have a body, born in a broken world, God joins us in the journey.
• All different, unique both autonomous and interdependent

The Goal is Wholeness, Perfection, and completeness.

• God is working before we are ready to work
• God is making a way where there is no way
• God is ultimately ready to complete our brokenness

WHAT IS OUR PART?

 

This Sanctifying process of Maturing God’s work in our body, time, live, and even then God holds our hands through the muddy, mucky mire.

The Equation of Grace

The maturity of faith is the growing in trust through practice.

Practice: This is the root of my suggestions of “homework”

We practice, stretch, test and mature our faith by taking steps toward God

• Worship
• Prayer
• Study
• Service
• Christian Fellowship
• Christian Accountability
• Witnessing, Sharing, Teaching, opening our faith to others

God is not interested in our management of the rules as much as our practice of trusting God in each day.

• Practice with our words
• Practice with our bodies
• Practice with our actions
• Practice with our thoughts, songs, and stories of faith
• Practice with our Hospitality, Worship, Intention Study, Service, and Generosity.

Our purpose is not the be right, correct and blameless, our goal is to be faithful.

1. Our Confirmation Class has begun discussion of this journey
2. Our SS Classes and Small Groups practice the community
3. Our church is the struggle to be the body of Christ with our bodies.
4. This is the practice of Lent and the life as an Easter People.

Let’s help one another practice.