Wednesday 6^th February

1 Colossians 1:25-27, Hebrews 6:16-20

The afternoon sky suddenly darkened and an eerie silence fell. What happened next changed humanity forever. With a loud thunderous rip the temple curtains tore in two. The great curtain to the Most Holy place had been torn in two. God Himself had now exposed the Holy Sanctuary, reserved only for the High Priest, through the torn curtain. Access was now for all men. Jesus stepped in as our High Priest, became the sacrifice, paid the price and took the role of our Intercessor on behalf of mankind. What does this statement mean for you?

Unfortunately for many, this is just a happy story based on fictional characters that never existed. This reality becomes even sadder when hardships come in their lives. Instead of putting their hope in an eternally loving real God, they turn to alcohol, drugs, sex and temporary fixes to fill the void in their hearts and ultimately become sadder, more depressed and end up in a worse state. The truth is, is that the only secure and reliable hope man can have is solely in Christ Jesus living in us.

The hope we have in Christ comes from firstly His finished work of redemption, secondly His role as an Intercessor on behalf of us, a sinful people, and thirdly the promise that He has called both Jew and Gentile into His presence both now and for eternity. His presence, as the writer of Hebrews describes, is a safe refuge and our hope in Him is like an anchor for our souls. Anchors are used for two reasons. The first reason is when a ship/boat moors in a port or place of rest. The anchor is released in order for the ship/boat to stay secure and not float away in the rising tides or waves. The second reason is in turbulent storms. When the ship/boat is caught in a storm the anchor is released to stop it drifting or floating away in the storm. Due to the heavy weight of the anchor and its hooked design, when released, it sinks to the bottom of the sea, hooks onto rocks or onto the seabed and steadies the ship/boat.

Christ in us, according to Hebrews 6:19, is the anchor for our souls. It is the confidence to know that when hardships come in our lives, if Christ lives in us, then we need not worry what the future holds, for our future is secure in Christ. The anchor in our hearts steadies our rocking lives and hooks on the firm foundation our faith is built on, Jesus Christ. We have this hope because we know that Christ has gone before us as our High Priest, into the eternal Holy of Holies making a way for us His bride to enter into communion with the Father. He stands forever as our Intercessory High Priest on behalf our sinful natures.

Paul, in Colossians chapter 1, also comments of this hope we have in Christ. The hope Paul talks of, is that of the indwelling presence of Christ in the believer. It is the assurance that Christ the Messiah, was not just an impersonal Saviour and redeemer of sins (OT understanding of the Messiah), but moreover, He was and is God dwelling in us, as a truly personal Saviour. This is the mystery revealed. That Christ now lives in us, as we have become the Temple of God. This is the hope of glory. This is our anchor. This is our security and assurance that we are His, bought with His precious, redeeming, and sacrificial blood. Grace be to you.