Archive for the ‘Hebrews’ Category

Scripture reading for November 16th: Hebrews 13:1-25

“For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)  Jews in the land of Israel viewed the city of Jerusalem as the city of God’s house.  They felt that God would protect this city forever and that it would be safe. But  God did allow the city to be captured and destroyed by the Babylonians.   The writer of Hebrews was telling these Jewish believers that this city of Jerusalem was not the permanent city that God had prepared.  This city and temple was now obsolete and passing away. Jesus had warned of it’s destruction because of the Jews rejection of Him.  (Matthew 23:37-39)   Faith looked ahead to God’s ultimate city that He was preparing for them!

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he didn’t know where he was going.  . .  .he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.  For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:8, 9b, 10)  Abraham knew of this heavenly city and even as he lived in a tent in the promised land was looking with faith to this heavenly city to be constructed by God Himself.  His offspring also had this hope!

“All these people were still living by faith when they died.  They did not receive the things promised; they only saw and welcomed them from a distance.  And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  . .Instead, they were longing for a better country–a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:13-14, 16)  All those early pioneers of the Jewish faith understood about the heavenly city and promise of a permanent dwelling place with God.  This faith pleased God and in Jesus Christ has prepared this heavenly city!  Some of Jesus last instructions to His disciples included the promise that in Father’s house were many rooms and He was preparing a place for them!  He is coming back to take all His followers to be with Him in that beautiful place!

Scripture reading for November 15th: Hebrews 12:14-29

Holiness is a precious requirement for those entering the kingdom of God and desiring to see Him. “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12:14-15)  There are things that can keep us out of our inheritance.  Failure to be a peacemaker and living in violence and strife will cut us off.  Immorality is also a killer of faith.  These sins are likened to bitter roots in the soul that causes a person to miss out on the grace of God.

We who live in the last days are under the new covenant.  This covenant is not made at Mt. Sinai like the old covenant, but at Mt. Zion.  At Mt. Zion we see the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of God and thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly.  Here we have the church of the Firstborn (Jesus Christ) consisting of all men and women who by faith have come to Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is the mediator of this new covenant and His sprinkled blood has forever made atonement for all sins committed in ignorance.

We must willingly come to Jesus and accept His sacrifice for us in order to escape judgment by Jesus Christ.  Many Israelites ignored God’s warning through Moses and perished.  Now Jesus, God’s final Word from Heaven, has warned us again of another shaking coming at the end that will shake all things that are able to be shaken!  (Hebrews 12:26-27)  (Haggai 2:6)  The earth and everything in it will be destroyed by this final shaking.  (2nd Peter 3:7)  The kingdoms of earth will be no match for the Lord of Hosts as He comes to establish the millennial Kingdom.

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptable with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”" (Hebrews 12:28)  Our King Jesus and the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem will be our permanent King and eternal home!  This calls for worship and active pursuit of holiness through faith in Jesus.  Those who refuse will be consumed by the fire of His wrath!

Scripture reading for November 14th: Hebrews 11:32-12:13

The race of faith takes patience.  The main reason for this is that no one knows when the promise of Jesus Christ’s return will take place.  We must live in anticipation daily and be constantly living a holy life.  We might even leave this life through death before the promise of His coming is fulfilled.  In fact, all the heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11 died without receiving what was promised them!  (Hebrews 11:39-40)  Only together with us will they be made perfect!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)

The race of faith requires our total concentration.  Jesus Christ is the author of all faith in that He is the living word of God.  Faith comes by hearing the word of God.  Jesus also perfects our faith through his prayers of intercession as we work our way through the trials of this life on earth.  He set the perfect example of faith in enduring the cross and finishing the work God had for Him to do here on earth.  He encourages us to endure opposition and never give up.

The writer of Hebrews encouraged the Hebrew believers to endure hardship as if it were the discipline of the Lord.   The Lord always disciplines those He loves for their good and profit.  True sons are loved by God and disciplined in order to share in His holiness.  (Hebrews 12:10)  Discipline is never easy or without some pain.  Discipline produces righteousness for those trained by it.

The race of faith is an endurance race run by those pleasing God.  God wants us all in that race and running to win the crown of life.  Today is a good day to refocus your life and thoughts on Jesus Christ and His great example.  His greatest joy was you and I in His presence for eternity.  Are you running in this great race?  The winner gets the crown!

Scripture reading for November 13th: Hebrews 11:17-31

Faith in God’s word causes us to be winners in life and even death!  In fact, it is impossible to lose when we live by faith.  He watches over His word to make sure it comes to pass!  Reading about these great men and women of God who believed and acted on God’s word should inspire us to live even more passionately by faith!

Abraham obeyed God when he was told by God to take his only son, Isaac, and offer him as a sacrifice.  Abraham had been told by God that it would be through his offspring that the promises made to him would be fulfilled.  “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.” (Hebrews 11:19)   God was faithful to His word, and provided the sacrifice in place of Isaac.  It was through Isaac that the promised seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ, eventually came.

Moses was another hero recorded in Scripture who had to live by his faith.  Moses was aware of God’s word about him given to his parents.  He chose to believe God about his mission of delivering God’s people instead of enjoying the passing pleasures of sin in Egypt.  (Hebrews 11:24-28)  He refused the treasures of Egypt while looking for the reward God promised.  By faith he led the people of Israel out of Egypt and persevered as if he could see the invisible God.  He offered the passover lamb, along with others of faith and was spared from the destroying angel!  Faith lead the nation to victory and freedom!

Many others also lived by faith and obtained God’s smile of approval!  Joshua led the nation in circling the walls of Jericho and saw them fall by God’s power.  Rahab, the prostitute, hid the spies knowing God’s word and believing Him.  Gideon, Samson, Barak, David and Samuel all led the nation in victory over their enemies by following God’s infallible word!

“Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.” (Hebrews 11:35b)  Hebrews records that faith sometimes looked to the world as failure.  Some chose to suffer rather than deny their faith or violate God’s word.  They looked with eyes of faith for the reward God promised.  All these ancients died in faith, patiently looking to God for the promise.  What an inspiration for us!

Scripture reading for November 12th: Hebrews 11:1-16

When we believe on Jesus Christ, we join a select group of individuals who by faith pleased God and laid hold of the promise of being close to Him for eternity.  There is no other way to please God than to live by faith in His word!

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” (Hebrews 11:1-3)  Faith brings understanding of our creation, purpose and the fall into sin.  When we read God’s word in Genesis, light of truth helps us believe and understand today’s problems.

We also look back at the record of those that came before us and see the outcome of their faith.  The writer of Hebrews calls them the ‘ancients’.  This record begins with Abel offering a better sacrifice than his brother Cain.  Abel obeyed God’s revelation of a blood sacrifice for approaching Him.(Genesis 4:3-8)   Cain did not believe.  Abel was commended by God as a righteous man and is still speaking to us today through his record in Scripture. (Hebrews 11:4)  Cain was mastered by the sin of unbelief and killed his righteous brother.  He lost God’s blessing.

Enoch so pleased God that he escaped death by his faith-motivated actions.  (Hebrews 11:5)  Enoch walked with God and was a prophet to his generation concerning God’s coming judgment.  (Jude 14-15)  God simply took him to heaven directly as an example for us of the reward of faith-filled living!  (1st Corinthians 10:11)

Noah was warned by God of a coming destructive judgment of the world by water.  Because he believed God, he built the ark according to God’s direction.  He and his family were saved out of all living on the earth as a testimony of the reward of faith.  (Hebrews 11:7)

Abraham heard God’s word instructing him to leave his country  and go to the land God would show him.  Abraham packed up his family and set out, trusting God’s word.  He ended up living in a tent in the land of promise, trusting that God was faithful.  It is recorded that Abraham was looking for a city built by God!  (Hebrews 11:10)  Faith pleased God and this record encourages us today.

Scripture reading for November 11th: Hebrews 10:19-39

Once a person understands the new covenant and the benefits of believing on Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins, there is a choice to be made.  We must either draw near to God through Jesus Christ or choose to go our own way.  The writer of Hebrews plainly lays out the choice in the passage we are reading today.  We can choose freely, but the consequences of our choice will come as stated by Scripture!

“Therefore, brother, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of god, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:19-23)    The logical choice is drawing near to God by faith in Jesus’ sacrifice and priesthood!  We are free from sin and condemnation and are made pure through His blood. (Hebrews 9:14)  He promised that those who would believe on Him would be saved completely!  (Hebrews 7:25)

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.  .  .  .It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10: 26-27, 31)  This warning concerned the sin of unbelief in God’s final Word, Jesus.   Willful rejection is the same as willful sin under the old covenant.  Sacrifice could be made for sins in ignorance and they would be accepted by God.  But willful, defiant sinning was punishable by death.  (Numbers 15:27-31)

Who in their right mind would shrink back from the promise of eternal life, a clean conscience, rest from religious labors and freedom from the fear of death?   Who would choose standing before God and having to answer for their own sins?  So we are encouraged not to throw away our confidence by shrinking back, but to go on towards Jesus who is our reward!  The best is yet to come for those who hold fast!  (Hebrews 10:35-29)

Scripture reading for November 10th: Hebrews 10:1-18

We are painfully aware of our lack of perfection!  Something or someone is always there to remind us of our faults and sins.  We have an inner voice of conscience as basic equipment from God.  We have our friends and enemies who blurt out the truth.  We have consequences of our evil deeds that keep on coming as we reap what we’ve sowed.  And in the spiritual realm we have Satan, the accuser, bringing up our faults.

Under the old covenant of law and sacrifice, the sacrifices were just reminders of sins.  It was impossible for the blood of animals to remove sin.  (Hebrews 10:3-4)  The writer to Hebrews quotes Psalm 40:6-8 to explain God’s heart in bringing Jesus Christ to establish the new covenant.  Sacrifice and offering was not what God really wanted, they were only shadows pointing to the reality of the final sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Jesus came to do what God wanted, a man who was fully committed to do His will!  “Then He said, “Here I am, I have come to do Your will.”  He set aside the first to establish the second.  And by that will we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:9-10)

Those who come to Jesus Christ and believe in Him for cleansing from sin find a new relationship with God.  They now know the Lord personally and understand His will.  God actually writes his laws on their hearts and minds, enabling an inner understanding better than the conscience.  (Hebrews 8:10-12; 10:16)  Jesus’ blood cleanses their consciences of sin enabling them (and us) to live without fear of death or judgment.  (Hebrews 9:14, 27; 2:14-15)

God actually purges the record of our sins in heaven as well.  He chooses to remember our sins no more!  (Hebrews 10:17)  When God no longer remembers our sins, a sacrifice is no longer needed!  Therefore, we can rest completely in what the blood of Christ has done for us!  We are now made perfect forever by the one sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus!   We rest knowing ours sins have been forgiven and forgotten by God.  We rest in the inheritance of eternal life.  We rest knowing we can stand at the judgment as one without condemnation or fear of punishment for sins!  What a marvelous Lord and complete salvation!

Scripture reading for November 9th: Hebrews 9:11-28

The priests under the old covenant were doing daily sacrifices of animals in the earthly tabernacle for the sins of men. Under the old covenant, the sacrifice of animal blood could cover the sins of men but could not really cleanse them from sin.  The Law of God could reveal the sins of men, but could not remove that sin from them.  But now a God-appointed High Priest was seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  Jesus Christ had offered His own blood as the perfect sacrifice for all man’s sins, once for all.

Under the old covenant, the sacrifice of animal blood could cover the sins of men but could not really cleanse their consciences from sin.  God has placed a conscience inside of man.  A conscience is a basic understanding of what is right and what is wrong, a knowledge of good and evil.  When we do wrong, our conscience brings conviction to us.  When we respond properly to the conscience, we confess or take responsibility for the wrong that was done and ask God for forgiveness. We also should seek reconciliation with those wronged if possible.  This process is call repentance.

As a Jew under the old covenant, sacrifices were laid out for sins committed in ignorance.   All forgiveness before God must come through a blood sacrifice.  “In the same way, he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies.  In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” The Jews were thus taught that their sins required the death of an innocent animal to bring about forgiveness before God.

“The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them  so that they are outwardly clean.  How much more 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!” (Hebrews 9:13-14)  Under the new covenant, we have a better sacrifice.  The blood of Christ can actually cleanse our consciences and enable us to serve God without fear of death or punishment.  Aren’t you thankful for the new covenant and a clean conscience!

Scripture reading for November 8th: Hebrews 9:1-10

The first covenant had an earthly tabernacle designed according to the pattern that Moses had received from God on the mountain.  This tabernacle had two rooms.  The outer room had a lamp stand, a table with twelve loaves of bread.  This room was called the Holy Place and the priests would go in there regularly to keep the lamps burning, change the loaves of bread.  The second room, the Most Holy Place, was behind the curtain and it contained the Ark of the Covenant made of pure gold overlay and guarded by two golden cherubim with wings outstretched.  The ark contained the tablets of stone with the ten commandments on them, a jar of manna from the Israelites wilderness journey, and Aaron’s rod that budded and produced fruit.  In front of this Ark was a small golden altar of incense.  (Hebrews 9:1-5)

The writer of Hebrews did not want to discuss the articles he had just listed.  As we think about the Ark and its contents, we are reminded of Jesus Christ.  The lid of the Ark was called the ‘mercy seat’ where the glory of God dwelt.  This ark was made of common Acacia wood, overlain with gold.  Jesus had the appearance of a normal human, but was really the royal Son of God who was King of Kings.  He was the One who came to fulfill the law written on the tablets of stone, perfectly obeying the Father.  He was going to give His own body as the true ‘bread from heaven’ as an offering for sin.  His body would be dead and in a grave but God the Father would resurrect Him as His chosen authority to be ruler and High Priest forever!  Jesus would offer His sinless blood on the real Mercy Seat in heaven once, for all!

The priests of Israel could enter the first room to minister daily, but only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place once a year on the Day of Atonement.  He must bring sacrifices for his sins and for those committed in ignorance by the people.  As Jesus breathed His last breath, the curtain blocking the Most Holy Place to ripped apart!  Now reality is ours in the new covenant!  We have access to the Most Holy Place through the torn body and blood of Jesus !

Scripture reading for November 7th: Hebrews 8:1-13

The old covenant was the law of Moses.  The old covenant was mediated by the Levitical priesthood and required sacrifices of the blood of animals for breaking the law of God.  The Old Testament Scriptures told of the temporary nature of this old covenant and spoke of a new covenant that God was going to make in the last days.

“The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a High Priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.” (Hebrews 8:1-2)  But when Jesus Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, He went to serve in the true tabernacle.  The earthly temple was only copy and shadow of what was real in heaven.  (Hebrews 8:5-6)  Moses was instructed to make everything according to the pattern give him by God on Mt. Sinai.

The old covenant was obsolete and passing away and the new covenant that God had spoken about through the prophets was now established for the new High Priest!  “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.  I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people.  No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest.  For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34), (Hebrews 8:10-12)

This covenant brought a personal relationship with God to each person.  Instead of tablets of stone, God would write His law on their hearts and minds.  Sins would be totally forgiven and the record wiped clean.  This new covenant is far superior to the old covenant and the High Priest is out of this world!

The real value of the new covenant is in enjoying it now.  Have you gone to Jesus Christ and humbly asked Him to forgive you of your sins?  Will you let Him wipe your record clean and then give you power to live with His law on your heart and in your mind?  Today is the right day!