Heb 4:10-16

Hebrews 4,
If it is Jesus, who is Priest and the Word of God which is His scalpel, as it were, the OT Jewish mind would automatically know what the letter to the Hebrews was about. The sacrifice of developing a holy life on behalf of the Lord that we might become His precious posession upon the earth. He sacrificed that He would cleanse and set apart a people for the praise of His glory. The moos and baas of the sacrifices in the temple would be in their ears and they would know that this was the cutting away of the sins in their lives. This is not as clear in our NT mentality. Our blots and blemishes do not disqualify us from grace unless we are holding onto them with both hands and not letting them go to the scalpel of the Word of God upon our lives. Let us be those sacrifices and run as we have seen the sacrifices do to the altar of sacrifice that our Lord Jesus may put His holy hand on us and use us as He pleases. They would see it that way. We are so many generations away from the animal sacrifices that there is not a clear word picture for us. Christ has made us, as Gentiles free to be clean and Holy, who had no rights to enter in, Amazing enough, true. But for the Jews they were the unblotted people and God had a word to draw them to what following Jesus meant. It meant no more rote sacrifices. It is in your heart or you are not His. Even the spotted and the speckled are accepted in the beloved. God sees those hearts of unbelief, that have taken His mercy as license to sin. Help us Lord. God sees those hearts of unbelief that have placed our sacrifice on the altar for merit and people pleasing. There will be no acceptance of such in the kingdom of God.
Jesus said the Kingdom of God is among you. He is it. He has purchased a people for His own posession. He has sympathy for the wicked heart of unbelief which mocks at the necessity to come time and time again with the same infirmity. Is there any relief for the process of repentance and faith. Only the healing of eternity will free us from the struggle with ourselves in our sins. And daily, in the NT mindset the temptation is to despise the regularness and repetitive nature of repentance and cleasing and healing for sins. They both come out to about the same thing, but the OT mindset is about what you are bringing and the NT mindset is about what you are being. Am I really repentant, if I have not yet found relief from this persistent stumbling? That is the answer of verse 15. We have a sympathetic High Priest, who is using the Word of God to cleanse and mark out a people peculiar in that they want to obey Him. They want to show love to Him by and through obedience. They want to bring the sacrifice of praise unto God. They want to believe Him for the salvation of the lost and for His will to be done upon the earth.
Let us come boldly to the throne of grace.
God grant that mercy and grace for healing and hope and cleansing and forgiveness of mind and heart and conscience. We may feel like these anxious thoughts and fretful circumstances are so redundant that they are beneath a risen and merciful Lord. We are bid to come with them. We are bid to carry all of the infirmities to Him. My burdens are heavy but the burden of the repetitive nature of repentance and daily faith is the largest. Let us take courage that we are not alone. All of our brethren in the world are also struggling with something. God makes it thus for us. We are to shine as lights because the Lord is manning the lightstand. The Lord is stoking the flame of our hearts. He will not put out, or stomp out the smoking flax. The lost person cannot see the way to go, that is a fearful state on earth to be in. The holy man and woman stand as lights for the Lord to show that God can make us new creations and use us in this world for His glory. Set our feet upon Your true path Lord as lights through your cleansing and healing in and through Your Word.
I confess my need for the cleansing and healing of Your Word.
I need that mercy and grace to help, Lord. Help me to see myself running to the throne like the simple sheep or ox of sacrifice to the hands of my High Priest whose scalpel, though it cuts is for healing and help and relief. Help me not to think myself so pure that I need no repentance, which was implied. I am Your sheep, O Lord prepare Your sacrifice upon the earth for Your glory.