Abundantly Pardoned

^{Heb 7:18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless}

^{Heb 7:19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. (NIV)}

^{The Pharisees were so addicted to law that they couldn’t find their way into a relationship with the God that stood before them. They constantly spewed out rules and regulations, even to God Himself. There are people in God’s congregations today who are addicted to laws and regulations that aren’t even in the Bible: “You have to be quiet in church,” “You must praise the Lord in silence,” “We shouldn’t spend money on that,” and on and on and on. That adherence to nonexistent laws saps the joy of the Lord right out of those people. That addiction to laws also threatens to sap the joy out of that person’s brothers and sisters in Christ—if we believe that we must adhere to that person’s addiction to laws. When we stop to think about it, there are many addictions within God’s church and within its’ many ministries. God doesn’t want addictions in His church. God doesn’t want addictions within His ministries. Addictions can divide congregations, and addictions are traps that Satan uses to his advantage. In Matthew 15:8-9 Jesus Christ says, “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’” Laws prevent proper worship of the Lord, because that person’s heart is held back by shackles created by that person. The Lord wants our hearts given in total surrender to Him when we worship Him. He doesn’t care about rules and regulations. 2 Chronicles 7:3 says, “When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, ‘He is good; his love endures forever.’ The Israelites thanked the Lord by giving true worship. In John 4:23-24 Jesus Christ says, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” God doesn’t want worship of Him to be bound by laws and regulations. He wants His people to worship Him in spirit and in truth, because He is spirit and truth. Some people within God’s congregations are so addicted to their work for Him, that they let it come between themselves and God. They don’t realize that their work is taking from their worship until they feel that He is distant from them, but in reality, they are distant from Him. James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.” We cannot come near to God if our works for Him stand between us. We cannot come near to God if an addiction to rules and regulations stand between us.}