WHERE WE ARE COME

'For you have not come to a mountain that may be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word should be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned." And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I am full of fear and trembling." But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel" (Hebrews 12:18-24, NASB )

Devotion 11 of 13

JESUS, THE MEDIATOR OF A NEW COVENANT

A covenant without a mediator is ineffectual. A mediator without a covenant is pointless. We "ARE come" to the very One who is mediating the new and better covenant--the Lord Jesus Christ. The reason we are come to Him is that we, by virtue of our induction into Him, are now beneficiaries of the covenant (Gal 3:29). God has put His law into our minds and written it into our hearts. He is our God, and we are His people. We know the Lord, being acquainted with His ways and understanding His Person. Our sins and iniquities are remembered no more by the One against Whom they were committed (Jer 31:31-34; Heb 8:8-13; 10:16- 17). Now, we "ARE come" to the One Who will "bring us to God" (1 Pet 3:18). He is the appointed "Captain of our salvation," charged with the responsibility of "bringing many sons to glory" (Heb 2:10). From the heavenly perspective, the Father has given us to the Son (John 5:36; 6:37; 17:7,9,11,24). It is by God's grace that we "ARE come" to the "Mediator of the New Covenant." We cannot negotiate the race that is set before us without Him! Jesus Himself is indispensable to our safe arrival in glory. He takes the benefits of the New Covenant and, using our faith, brings them to us. We are "filled with all joy and peace in believing" (Rom 15:13) because of His ministry through the Holy Spirit. Because of His mediatorship we are "strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man" (Eph 3:16-17). God the Father does the work (Eph 3:14-16), but He does it through the Mediator. To put it another way, "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:19). That is the role of our Mediator--to take divine resources from the rich supply of God's glory and give them to us. Using these resources, we "work out" our "own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12). How blessed that we "ARE come" to the "Mediator of the New Covenant." This gives us the advantage in the "good fight of faith," thereby enabling us to "lay hold on eternal life" (1 Tim 6:12). Our adversary, the devil, is not able to counteract the effect of Christ's mediatorship. Every child of God can confess with Paul, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil 4:13). "All things" related to "life and godliness" now belong to us, and are within the reach of our faith (2 Pet 1:3; 1 Cor 3:20-21). Remember, Jesus is now appearing in the presence of God "for us" (Heb 9:24). When God sees Him, He thinks of you. He has appointed the Son to be your Good Shepherd, thus empowering you to escape from every temptation, bear up under every trial, and navigate through every difficulty. You "ARE come" to a needed Mediator--you cannot do without Him! You "ARE come" to a willing Mediator--One thoroughly committed to finishing the work He has begun in you! You "ARE come" to an effective Mediator--One "able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because he always lives to intercede for them" (Heb 7:25, NIV). Thank God for the Mediator to Whom we "ARE come" PRAYER POINT: Father, I rejoice in the Mediator You have appointed for me. I love Him, and He is precious to me. I acknowledge I have nothing He has not given me. In His blessed name, receive my thanks for the one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus!

-- TOMORROW: THE BLOOD OF SPRINKLING --