“Gentlemen, This is a Football.”

Luke 22:14-20

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2022%3A14-20&version=NIV;NLT

  

In 1960, the Green Bay Packers had a devastating loss in the NFL finals. The following year, Vince Lombardi started his pre-season training camp with the basics. “Gentlemen, this is a football.” This is what coaches, teachers and employers do; they start with the fundamentals of the job that is in front of you.

 

Understanding the Bible is the same way. You start with the basics; the fundamentals. One of the Biblical basics is understanding the difference between the Old Covenant, found in the Old Testament, and the New Covenant, found in the New Testament.

 

One is about the Law; the other grace. One is about rituals; the other relationship. For some, the two shall never meet. In reality though, they are both a part of the same story. Together, they tell the history of God’s plan of redemption. They tell the story of God’s covenant with Israel, and with all those who believe and have faith.

 

The Old Covenant was confirmed in Exodus 24 with many animal sacrifices being

made.

 

⁶ Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar… ⁸ Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”                       NIV

 

The New Covenant was confirmed during the Passover Feast with Jesus and his disciples in the Upper Room.

 

²⁰ After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.                      NLT   

 

Like the animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant, Jesus shed his blood to establish the New Covenant so that we might be forgiven. The difference being that Jesus is the pure Lamb of God sacrificed once for all so that no other sacrifices are necessary.

 

In order to be the best football players and team that they could be, Vince Lombardi instructed his team in the basics. As followers of Christ, should we do any different?

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’re Fired

Hebrews 9:9-15

“You’re Fired” was the phrase made famous on the reality TV show The Apprentice starring our newly inaugurated president, Donald Trump.

 The premise of the show was that two teams of young business people competed against one another on a project or task. Whichever team lost had to face Trump in the board room to determine who contributed the least to their team; whereupon Trump would immediately tell that person, in no uncertain terms, “You’re fired”!

By doing this, the team would theoretically be a newer, stronger version of itself that should be able to compete and possibly win the next contest. This concept of improving a faulty system by eliminating or changing the members can be seen in the Hebrew passage today.

In the Old Testament, God provided a sacrificial system through Moses. It involved the High Priest entering the Holy Place once a year to make a blood sacrifice for his sins and for the sins of Israel. But this was not enough because it had to be done year after year after year. The system was flawed.

⁹ This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. ¹⁰ For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.            NLT

The perfect system came through the blood of Jesus Christ. He was the perfect lamb that was sacrificed once and for all. Nothing you or I can do, or have done, is too sinful or shameful for the blood of Christ to wipe away forever.

¹⁴ How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!       NIV

In The Apprentice, Trump fired participants because they were weak, because they failed or because they weren’t good enough. In real life though, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, provided the perfect way for the weak, for those who fail and for those who aren’t good enough; to be perfected, to live with purpose and to spend eternity with our Heavenly Father.