Hebrews 10:11-13 — “Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until his enemies be made a footstool for His feet.”

Going back to the good old days has taken on new meaning in our house recently. For some reason our kids have become enamored with the old record players, and have enjoyed collecting albums from the past. I’m not sure I see the value in this.

Recorded music has improved greatly over the years, and sounds so much better than it used to.

But this type of “remembering the good old days” is not new to our generation. The Hebrew Christians were doing just the same thing. Their Jewish traditions had tutored them in the laws of ancient Israel; and before following Jesus, they regularly participated in feasts and sacrifices necessary to cover their sins.

When these people heard about the salvation in Jesus, they left their traditions and followed Him. This wasn’t easy since unbelieving families and acquaintances made life hard for them. Some became discouraged and decided to go back to the “good old days” where they fit in with the others in the Jewish community.

The writer of Hebrews wrote this letter to show these wavering believers the foolishness of their decisions and to bring them back to what is better.

Didn’t they know that the priest needed to perform his sacrificial duties continually? And even then those sacrifices couldn’t take away sins. The blood of lambs could only cover trespasses but failed to remove guilt.

On the other hand the blood of Jesus, Who was the final sacrifice for sin, was sufficient to remove all sins and cleanse their consciences of all guilt. The traditions of the past were only meant to point to Christ’s all-sufficient offering. His one sacrifice accomplished what the blood of animals could not do: no more sacrifices; no more guilt. What could be better than that?

When it comes to music I guess the nostalgia of old time voices on old time scratchy records can be quaint and endearing. But there are other things for which it doesn’t pay to revert to the “good old days.”

In fact, the good old days weren’t so good after all. What we now have in Jesus Christ is much better. His one-time sacrifice paid the price for sin securing the eternal destiny for those who draw near. No more sacrifices needed. No more guilt and shame.

So, goodbye “good old days;” instead we say hello to complete peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sandra Sheridan is a Midwest wife and mother of five. She shares her messages to her children with Farm World. Visit her at www.VersesFromMama.com