Hebrews 9:15-17
15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
I work a few days a week at the local True Value hardware store. And I love this job. It is allowing me to get connected again with my community, as for the last 30 years I have ben a salesman on the road and have not been around the town much. Our small town has little business, but the hardware store is doing well, and many people come through every day. They stand and talk to each other about the days’ happenings, and I get to join in on the conversation when not busy taking care of customers. Part of my job is giving my time to the customers to just visit. We even have 50 cent coffee, and two picnic tables for people to enjoy it on. There are three different coffee groups every week day. It’s so much fun!
Yesterday two guys were talking about a farmer who had recently passed away. He had made the decision to sell off all his land after he passed, which was only about 80 acres, a very small plot by Iowa standards. According to one of these guys, he did this to avoid the argument between the two sons of which got the better plot of land had the dad left them each 40 acres. The story is that the sons fight over everything, and both think the other was favored among them in the father’s eyes. What a terrible thing to have to think about before you die.
My mom recently passed away at age 97. She was an amazing lady (I guess all of us would say that about our mothers!). Her health finally gave way to her age, and she went gracefully. She always had a keen mind, all the way to the end. She would bring up things that we had talked about weeks, or even years ago, right up top the final months. We talked three times a week by phone, as she lived out near my brother in Massachusetts. She was always positive and always fun to talk to. I miss those phone calls. She had always wanted to leave a little something for my brother and I when she passed. In fact, when she moved back to Massachusetts, she had to live in an assisted living facility. My brother was heling her with her finances, and told her she had enough to last her 7 years in the assisted living before Mass care would have to kick in. She said she wouldn’t last that long, and she lasted 5!
In her will she designated my brother to be executor of the estate. He is a man of high integrity and would handle the financial end of it with grace. One thing I never had to worry about was if he was being honest about the money she left. He had enough on his own that he did not need to take any more than was his, as some would do. I trusted him implicitly, and knew that if he said there was a certain amount of money left, it was the actual amount left. As a result of this inheritance, I am in the middle of getting a project done to my house that my wife and I have been dreaming about for 5 years. We took down a wall in the front of our house and are moving the kitchen in with the living area to make one large open-concept living space. The project is moving rapidly, and we are so excited!
I have shared thee two tales of inheritance to because they are indicative of how an inheritance can be a blessing or a curse. So many times, families fight and squabble over what is left behind by their loved ones, not even thinking about the fact of how sad that would make the one who died. My wife’s sister-in-law passed away a few years back, and they are still upset about the way it all happened. The executor seems to have misrepresented the funds left, and everyone is at odds with each other over it. This I not unusual when someone passes. Arguments over who got what, or that someone else was more favored and shouldn’t have received so much are rampant. It often seems the will should have ben more specific about many things.
God’s will is very specific about so many things. He has left us with over 8,000 promises of things that He will do for us. Among these promises are:
Forgiveness for all our sins
Victory over our sinful nature
The Holy Spirit, or Comforter, to come dwell with us and teach us
Resurrection from death
Eternal Life in Heaven
Healing for our physical, emotional and spiritual bodies
Deliverance and protection from our enemies
Guidance and direction for our lives
Provision on a daily basis
Peace, Joy, Hope, Faith, and so much more.
These things and thousands more, are promises for our lives. They are His will for our lives. However, someone’s will does not come into force until the one who made the will dies. I would not have the money left by my mom unless she had passed away. As long as she lived, her things were hers, and nothing would change that. She had to die for her will to be enacted. That’s the way it works.
Jesus Christ came to die so that the will of God could be enforced for all of us. His death made all the things, and so much more, possible for us to claim today. The word translated mediator here is the Greek word mesos which is most often translated “In the midst.” It defines someone or something that stands in the middle of two things, like the sheep in the midst of wolves, or the tares in the midst of weeds, or the righteous in the midst of the wicked. Jesus not only died to enact the will of the Father, but he also stands between us and the Father, making intercession for us (we will talk more about this later). This is why we have to ask the Father in Jesus name!
God’s eternal plan was to bless us through the death of His Son. Hi will could not be enacted without that, and sin would not be covered if blood was not spilled. I am so thankful that Jesus came to this earth to give up all that He was and had to become a baby in a manger, live a human life, and die a horrible death so that I could be the beneficiary of God’s will. He loved us that much, that he gave His all for all of us. Hid will is now in force for all time, giving those precious promises to us each and every day. We must let our loved ones, our friends, and our neighbors know this good news. So many are living in the will of the enemy and have no idea what Jesus has done for them. We must let them know!