Roadkill is defined as an animal or animals struck and killed by motor vehicles. Some of these animals do extensive damage to the vehicle that hits them, like the time I was assisting in the formation of a new church in Waseca, Minnesota, and when we drove into the city proper, there was a car stalled in front of us – smoke ascending and the deer’s antlers through the windshield of that car.
One million animals are killed per day in the United States and become roadkill. Many years ago, when we lived in Southeast Minneapolis, we drove along a road and saw a dead squirrel laying there. Right beside the squirrel was its mate – not moving, just staying with the dead squirrel.
Here we are as new creatures in Christ, a new man or woman in Him, and now we see that a new way was made for us, but it clashed with the holiness of heaven and the Son of God, in turn, was left dead on the road.
We Enter That Road By Entering The Presence (Hebrews 10: 19)
It is like stopping at a gas station to get fuel (power) for the vehicle. We need the Holy Spirit to bring us life and we should get renewed every day – every time we are proceeding on that road.
The Bible says we have confidence to enter that place through the blood of Christ – that splattering from the cross, whose blood poured out on the ground – the very ground from which God created man.
We Enter By A New And Living Way
This is where death brings life. The old way couldn’t give life. The word “new” is “prosphatos ” a Greek term meaning “newly made”. It is the only time this Greek word is used in the Bible. It comes from two words: “pros” which means “towards” and “pheno” meaning “freshly slain, newly slaughtered, recent kill”. Together these words mean a fresh slaughter directed towards heaven. In the eternal perspective, God can still smell the fresh blood from that road, for Jesus is the way, path, and the tire tracks of our sin were imbedded in His flesh.
The word “living” is the Greek word “zosan, zao “, from zoe”, meaning “the life principle”. It is not referring to natural life, as much as the origin of life – God. It means “to live, am alive”.
The word “way” is the Greek word “hodos”, meaning “road, journey, path, mode or means”. Jesus didn’t fall on the road as much as He became the road.
Inaugurated For Us
This coming Sunday is the Presidential Inauguration. The Greek word for “inaugurate or dedicate” is “enkainisen”. It comes from two words. The first is “en”, meaning “in” – it must be part of the inside, not one from outside. Jesus is often referred to as the “one in the midst”. The second part of the word is “kainizo” which comes from”kainos”, meaning “to make fresh, new, unused”. God doesn’t recycle; He makes things new. Jesus dedicated himself as the fresh, new road of access. The new dedication He gave us was initiated by Him. It was His idea. It was a renewal – Jesus sets aside the first order to establish the second covenant (Hebrews 10: 9; Colossians 3: 10). The quality is better – the sacrifice of Jesus as the Lamb of God was better than that established by the Levitical law which had to be done yearly by a priest who was sinful and needed to present an offering for his own sin. Jesus died once for all and He was sinless.
Keep in mind that the scoffers at the cross and prior to the cross broke most of the commandments against Jesus. They lied about Him. They coveted His cloak. They dishonored His name. They hated him, which in Jesus’ own words was as the same as murder – (Matthew 5: 21, 22) for He said that the attitude was the same as the action.
Had to Come Through The Veil
“Through” is the Greek word “dia” which is where we get our word diameter. It means “around, through its essence”. “Veil is the Greek word “katapetasma”. It means the “inner veil of the temple between the holy place and the Holy of Holies. This word comes from two words: “kata”, meaning “down”, for the veil not only hung down, but at the crucifixion, it was torn from the top to the bottom, in a downward motion. God did the tearing. “Petannumi” is the Greek word meaning “spread out”. Together this means that the veil came down and access was opened up and it spread out beyond the high priest, who was normally was the only one who could to in to the holy of Holies – and only once a year.
The outer garment of the high priest had bells on the bottom, so that if he did anything in Holy of Holies not according to the law, he would be struck dead and the bells would indicate that he went down. Now, through Christ, we have boldness to come directly in (verse 19 again), into the Holy of Holies – The figurative understanding of the Holy Throne of God.
We have “boldness”, which in the Greek is the word “parresia”, meaning, “bold resolve, freedom of speech, confidence”. Our country is founded on freedom of speech, and in God’s presence we can enter saying “abba, Father” (Daddy – very intimate for His child). We don’t need to have our speech analyzed or screened. Just say what’s on your mind and if it is wrong, God’s Holy Spirit will let you know.
Boldness is not arrogance; it is confident respect in approaching The Throne.
Jesus did everlasting damage to the vehicle(s) that struck and killed him: sin, the devil, and carnality. They killed Him, but in doing so, they were destroyed.