Nostalgic Transition || New Phone, Who Dis? #9 (FINALE)

Transition Time

Welcome back to “New Phone, Who Dis?”! Over the course of this series, we’ve talked about the differences between the Old and New covenants and the sacrificial systems tied to them. In Part 8, we talked about how we can approach God. In the Old Covenant, no one could approach God at any given time. Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place only on the Day of Atonement. The ancient Israelites wanted to keep God’s place holy and separated from humanity’s sin. However, Jesus changed that. The sacrifice of Christ allowed a clear path, tearing the temple curtain to reveal the most holy place, allowing all people to approach God with confidence and boldness.

In Part 9 (our finale), we’re reflecting. The Old Covenant is fading, and we are looking forward to the new system. The New Covenant is here, and we’re setting aside the old system. This may sound like a repetitive discussion today, but I am viewing it from two perspective. Preparing for change and reflecting on our past. Two topics that we can recognize are important in our world today. Let’s see what the covenantal transition shows us.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Between our two topics today, which do you struggle with the most? Why?

Temporary Acts Need to Fade

Hebrews 10:1 introduces to the future hope and excitement of the new covenant:

AMP – For since the Law has only a shadow [just a pale representation] of the good things to come – not the very image of those things – it can never, by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year, make perfect those who approach [its altars].

NRSVUE – Since the law has only only a shadow of the good things to come and not the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who approach.

VOICE – We have seen how the law is simply a shadow of the good things to come. Since it is not the perfect form of these ultimate realities, the offering year after of these imperfect sacrifices cannot bring perfection to those who come forward to worship.

The Mosaic Law being called a shadow suggests that it was preview, not the full reality. The law that Moses received was a guide and tutor leading to Christ. The “good things to come” is the New covenant that we’ve talked about. The law’s rituals and sacrifices all pointed towards the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, who fulfilled the law. The law’s sacrifices were temporary and symbolic, not the fulfillment of God’s promises – which later came through Jesus. The sacrifices were unable to provide true redemption or a clear conscience.

The repetitive nature of the sacrifices made them insufficient. The sacrifices on the Day of Atonement couldn’t permanently remove sin. The repetition shows us that we needed a better sacrifice. The law could not cleanse the conscience or provide lasting righteousness. Jesus’s sacrifice perfects Christians by gifting us righteousness and sanctification.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: The sacrifices became more habits that we needed to do than impactful moments that changes what we do. Think about your life right now. What is something that you’re doing out of habit, instead of meaningful impact? How do you create more intentionality behind what you do?

Recognizing What Systems Fade

Two things stick out to me: 1) The sacrifices couldn’t provide the ultimate goal and 2) The law couldn’t guide us in the right direction.

The sacrifices were unable to provide a true redemption or a clear conscience. The goal of the sacrificial system was to atone for the sins of humanity and work towards a place of reconciliation with God. They were unable to achieve that goal, due to the heavy repetition that was necessary from the ancient Israelites. The law was to provide a standard of living that separated God’s chosen people from the rest of the societies around them. However, the people were constantly questioning and dismissing standards, often doing as it states in Judges: “what was right in their own eyes.” Overall, we see the ancient Israelites following a rule-set that wasn’t working and systems that were not impactful.

Today, we can see this happening to us as well. There’s a struggle that I’ve seen here in the United States that we are following laws that haven’t properly modernized to current society and systems that haven’t changed to create more ease of use. Current laws have restricted a lot of rights of life for the marginalized communities. Where I’ve seen happen more recently is between the impoverished and the wealthy. There isn’t any active routes to help lower the costs of food, housing, gas, medicine, and more. However, we’ve witnessed tax cuts for business owners and wealthy individuals so that they are receiving benefits. Often, the legislators create these laws to benefit themselves over their constituents. We need to work better in this area to create a massive butterfly effect. We need legislators that focuses on the care of the people they represent. We need to see people being able to afford their food, medication, living expenses, utilities, and more. These things are basic rights for everyone, regardless of demographic that people should have access to, with no barriers-of-entry. These things should not be debated in the world. If we spent more money on the better mine of our communities and less so on wars, fighting, and more – imagine the progress we would make in our society. Imagine the goodness we can spread to others. Not only do we need our government and leaders to do this, but also we need to do this. We need to look at the needs of our community and work towards meeting them in whatever way possible. It’s time that we take a quality reflection at what we have working right now and see what needs to fade away and what needs to be brought in.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Think about your life and your community. What systems exist that need to fade away? How would you replace them?

Changing to Something New

Let’s look at the new system coming in, found in Hebrews 10:9

AMP – then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” [And so] He does away with the first

[covenant as a means of atoning for sin based on animal sacrifices]

so that He may inaugurate and establish the second [covenant by means of obedience].

NRSVUE – then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second.

VOICE – and follows this with “See, I have come to do Your will,” He effectively takes away the first – animal sacrifice – in order to establish the second, more perfect sacrifice.

Christ came to fulfill the messianic prophecy, to fulfill God’s redemptive plan. Jesus came to remove the first covenant, based on sacrifices and rituals. This covenant was temporary and served as a preview of the good things to come. Jesus came to fulfill the law, and its now completed through Christ’s sacrifice. The new covenant is based on the death and resurrection of Jesus, characterized by grace and truth, and offers a direct relationship with God through faith in Christ. This is a transformative shift from rule-following to internal transformation.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: When you hear that a relationship with God is more about an internal transformation than just following rules, what does that mean to you? Does that make you feel more positive or more concerned?

The Nostalgia Factor

The new covenant is based off three things: grace, forgiveness, and a direct access to God. Grace shows us how favored we are through our relationship with God. God wants to see us succeed and thrive in the world He has created for us. Unfortunately humanity’s choices and decisions throughout history may have led us to feeling anxious, panicked, frustrated, and feeling like this world is not for us. God wants to gift you some strength, guidance and wisdom to guide you through the paths that you were designed to follow.

God won’t withhold anything for you because of your sinful behavior. God creates a forgive and forget mindset, so that guilt, shame, and regret will not dominate your minds. It’s easy to look back at the old rules and realize how much you failed to follow them, but God doesn’t do that for you. God walks alongside you in your journey of reconciliation and repentance. The goal is to be like Christ, and, personally, we strive to be 1% better than the day before. There will always be a place where we can improve, and God wants to see us thrive. It doesn’t happen through the number of rules that we can follow, but it shows through how we love, care, and seek for our neighbor.

We build on this directly though our relationship with Christ. There’s no gatekeeping God anymore, as the Temple Curtain once did. God encourages us to approach His throne boldly and confidently, to seek a direct relationship with Him. We no longer need to depend on high priests interceding on our behalf, for Jesus, the true High Priest, sacrificed Himself to give us an eternal relationship with God and a space to receive God’s promises and gifts all the time around.

Sometimes, we look back at history, we want what felt familiar to us. We want what we knew because change is scary and can be uncomfortable. However, we will never know progress if we don’t adapt and change. Nostalgia is great for reflection, not so much reality. We need to be in the present, focusing what we have around us now. The Israelites saw something new, something radical in Jesus. It made it hard for a change, but it also made it worthwhile. The ancient Israelites wanted to go back out to slavery when they were in the wilderness. The wilderness may be where you feel you’re at right now, but there is a Promised Land on the other – and we can find it through Jesus.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What does nostalgia mean for you? How do you recognize nostalgia in the present moments of life?