Archives: Commentaries

Eternal Faith

We are entering into a new and powerful understanding of God’s Eternal Grace in our lives. A quick review: Justification is the gift from God of Everlasting Life received by Faith alone in Christ Jesus ~ separating us from the Penalty of sin. Sanctification is the ongoing work that involves the obedient Faith and Works of the True Believer ~ separating us from the Power of sin. Glorification is future to us and is the result of our obedience to the Will of God through the Holy Spirit ~ forever separating us from the Presence of sin. We become Overcomers as we obey. All Believers will be Glorified; yet how much Glory we will experience is directly related to our application of Faith in Obedience to God’s Word. This entire book of Hebrews can be reread and studied to help us in becoming successful Overcomers! You and I are determined to become a True Child of God and fulfill all that God has planned for our lives. That is why we are committed to the study of His Word and walk in obedient Faith. We know that all believers will enter into Eternal Life; but only the Faithful obedient Believers will inherit the rewards God has planned for His Faithful followers. We keep in mind that Jesus will Judge us at the Bema seat of Judgement based on our obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit. See 2 corth. 5:10; 1 Corth 3:11-15; Matt. 25:31-46; Rev. 2:11-15, etc.
As Believers we need to know what areas Jesus will judge us for:
1. How we treat other Believers. (Heb. 6:10; Mt. 10:41-42)
2. How we use our authority over others. (Heb 13:17; James 3:13)
3. How we utilize our God-given abilities. (1 Cor. 12:4, 11; 2 Tim. 1:6; 1 Peter 4:10)
4. How we use our wealth. (1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; 1 Tim. 6:17-19)
5. How we spend our time. (Ps. 90:12; Eph 5:16; Col. 4:5; 1 Peter 1:17)
6. How much we suffer for Jesus. (Matt. 5:11-12; Mark 10:29-30; Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor 4:17; 1 Peter 4:12-13)
7. How we run the race God has chosen for us. (1 Corth. 9:24; Phil. 2:16; 3:13-14; Heb. 12:1)
8. How we control our old nature. (1 Cor. 9:25-27)
9. How many souls we witness to and assist in accepting Jesus as Savior & Lord. (Prov. 11:30; Dan. 12:3; 1 Thess. 2:19-20)
10. How we respond to temptations. (James 1:2-3; Rev. 2:10)
11. How much the Truth of the Rapture really means to us. (2 Tim. 4:8-9)
12. How faithful we are to the Word of God and the People of God. (Acts 20:26-28; 2 Tim. 4:1-2; 1 Peter 5:2-4)
Remember: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16.

13:1

Continually love other Believers. Notice the emphasis of continuous, or always loving. This means we must make an effort to love other Believers. Sometimes we differ so much in the way we approach a situation we irritate one another. We are admonished to utilize the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to love others when we simply “don’t feel like loving” someone.

13:2

Now we are encouraged to extend hospitality to those we don’t know very well, perhaps even total strangers. We are given an unusual glimpse into the Spiritual world by being told that by being hospitable, some Believers have even entertained angels and not even been aware of it! So this tells us that not only are angels very real, but they are among us! Some of us have even experienced the provision of God’s angels on our behalf, or on the behalf of a loved one. Is there still a possibility of entertaining angels in our day and age?

13:3

We are told to remember those who are in prison with an attitude of being locked up with them! This means we are to seek ways to help those people who are suffering by being locked up. There are a number of prison ministries that need our help and prayers. Some of those that are in prison are Christians, so we have even more of an obligation to help them in some way. Remember, many people are suffering in prison because of their misfortunes, or mistakes in life, or for foolish decisions. We must have compassion on those who now have very little control over their lives. If the author is indeed Paul, he was probably writing this epistle from prison. Pray about what God would have you do to help these unfortunate people.

13:4

Marriage is to be honored and kept pure. Both husband and wife must keep themselves pure and holy, honoring God in all their activities. This means we honor our spouse by avoiding any kinds of entanglements with those of the opposite sex. We also honor our spouse by our words and actions on their behalf. To belittle, or embarrass a spouse, dishonors God. We are warned that the judgement of God will fall on those who are adulterers or fornicators who engage in any type or kind of sexual activity outside of marriage. This is one of the reasons that pornography is such a serious sin. It warps the mind and thought processes, leading a person into wicked thought patterns and often actions. Pornography is very addictive, so avoid it, always! Just because advertisers use it doesn’t mean it is not a sin!

13:5

We are to make every effort to keep our lives completely free from the love of money. We are to be satisfied with what God has provided for us. Daily thanking God for all He has given us, and verbally naming His many blessings on and in our lives will help us avoid greed, covetousness and dissatisfaction with our situation in life. Avoid borrowing to satisfy your wants and needs. Borrowing is actually a form of STEALING from YOURSELF! How? Because you do not deny yourself and save for something you need or want, you rob yourself of the actuality of experiencing HOPE. If you have payments, it destroys Hope, makes you anxious and fearful, and you often can’t really enjoy what you got before you saved for it. We are designed by God to experience HOPE. Our brains have an excitement, an anticipation, of what we Hope for. Yet, Hope is only experienced when we Trust in God, deny ourselves, and WAIT for the need to be provided. Usually, we save and save until we have enough saved to purchase the item for cash. This fulfillment of our Hope brings great satisfaction and confirms to God that we are capable of “denying self” to experience Hope. You have the deep satisfaction of knowing you waited and EARNED the item! Think how wonderful it feels to know you saved for that vehicle, or vacation; then paid for it UP-FRONT! Anytime you think you don’t have enough, take a good, hard look at the starving people of most of the rest of the world! They lack food, water, clothes, even a place to sleep. Those in third would countries live on less than $2 a day! Begin by donating to your local Food Bank; then Samaritans Purse, or some other quality organization. We must understand the horrible sufferings of most of the people in the rest of our world, in order to put our own lives in proper perspective. We are wealthy beyond the wildest dreams of most of these poor people. Even here in our own city, people, especially children, are suffering from malnutrition. Our Food Bank does as much as possible, but in these hard economic times, they lack enough money and food to help all the needy here in our own hometown. We strongly encourage you to donate the maximum of $400 per person, to your food bank. Ask for a TAX CREDIT letter and get a full tax credit for your donation. Why not give your state tax dollars to help feed the poor, right here in Lake Havasu! God has promised us, as Believers, that He will never fail or abandon us. Remember, He promises to provide for our needs not our greedy wants. Pray about how God would direct you to help the poor and hungry.

13:6

Now, knowing that God loves us and has promised to care for us, we must be strong and bold in declaring that God is the One Who provides for us, and that we do not fear what man can do to us. We must make an effort to be free of materialism. After all, advertising encourages us to ‘want more’ than we really need. Advertising promotes selfishness and greed; encouraging one to go into debt. Remember, Jesus told us NOT to go into debt; so is debt a sin? Unnecessary debt IS A SIN! Learning to get by on less is a good way to allow us to provide for the desperate needs of those who have not been blessed with our wealth and prosperity. Saving is necessary for a good steward; especially for those unforseen Emergencies we will all have. This is also a very good test of our ability, actually our self discipline, to ‘deny ourselves’ pick up our cross and follow Jesus. Remember, Jesus told us that IF we really wanted to be His followers, that is what we are to do.

13:7

Again they are told to remember those who ruled over them. We are told to remember those who have the spiritual rule over us. Some of these teachers may have died, yet we remember their faithful teachings. These men who have the spiritual rule are those who teach us the Biblical Truth of the Word of God. In today’s world we see many who ‘claim’ they are ‘men of God’, yet they do not teach the whole Truth of God’s Word. They teach half truths, or watered down versions, or outright lies. Those who we have allowed to be our teachers must be men of strong and courageous Faith. These men should be men of True Faith who live a spiritual lifestyle worthy of imitation. In other words, their lives reflect accurately what they teach. As the saying goes ‘they walk the talk’.

13:8

Suddenly we are reminded that Jesus is always Faithful! He remains the same forever; yesterday, today and for all our tomorrows. This means we can trust and rely on Jesus to always keep His promises to us; we trust Him forever with our very souls. Even though we may face painful and difficult trials and tribulations, we know that Jesus will always be with us through all adversities and sorrows.

13:9

Now the author again reminds us not to be deceived with lying doctrines. We are reminded that all teaching must be based on God’s Word. Any other teaching, even though it may ‘sound good’, is a lie! There are three characteristics of false teachers: 1. They promote false, unbiblical teachings. 2. They emphasize the external, material, world rather than internal heart change. 3. Their teachings do not produce eternal spiritual fruit. Remember, be a ‘spiritual fruit inspector’!

13:10

This is a somewhat difficult passage for us to understand. The ‘altar’ was the altar upon which the blood sacrifices were made. The meat left from these ‘sacrifices’ was used as the food of the priests and their families. Yet they were never allowed to eat one meat sacrifice, and that was the Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement sacrifice. Food that is eaten becomes part of the body. Yet we now know that the Atonement sacrifice was Jesus Himself, on the cross. Jesus said we were to eat his body and drink His blood; we honor that in Communion and acknowledge that Jesus is the Word of God. Thus we ‘consume’ His Word and it becomes a part of us as we obey Him. Therefore, in a true sense, we are ‘consuming’ Jesus by studying His Word and applying it into our lives. So the author is telling them that the Believer is more privileged than even the old testament High Priest, because Jesus is far superior to the old testament Day of Atonement Sacrifice. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of that Sacrifice; His very life was given in Atonement for our sins. Jesus, then is far better than anything and everything that Judaism had to offer.

13:11

The author reminds them that the bodies of the beasts, whose blood was drained and offered for the Yom Kippur, Atonement, sacrifice; were burned outside the camp, and the bodies were also burned completely; there was nothing left to eat. The burning of the bodies outside the camp portrayed the removal of sin from among the people. No one could ever eat anything of the Atonement Sacrifice, because it had to be completely removed from the camp, and burned and destroyed outside the camp, or city.

13:12

To fulfill prophecy Jesus was sacrificed ‘outside’ the gate of the city of Jerusalem. This reference meant He was outside the ‘camp’ of the people. Yet His blood was shed for the sins of all peoples for all time. Since Jesus is really ‘outside the camp of Judaism’, then all those who would receive Him as Savior and Lord must also go ‘outside the camp’, or leave the old form of Judaism, and accept Jesus as the perfect Atonement Sacrifice for sins. True, Biblical Judaism accepts Jesus, Yeshua, as Messiah!

13:13

Now the author clearly tells them ‘Let us go outside the camp’ bearing His reproach. This means we must identify ourselves with Jesus on the cross; after all, it was our sins that put Him there. We must also identify with the rejection and shame that Jesus endured on our behalf. The Hebrews needed to take this advice to heart and remove themselves from the fellowship of Judaism and even move outside the city gates and be identified as followers of Jesus. They needed to abandon completely the old Jewish religion that had rejected their Messiah. Keep in mind that not long after this was written, Jerusalem was utterly destroyed and historians estimate more than a million Jews were slaughtered.

13:14

This was a prophecy for them during their lifetimes: The City would not continue to exist. Yet it is also a future prophecy for us, for we are also looking for the City that is to come in the future. We must spiritually, emotionally and mentally be preparing ourselves for the Eternal City of Jerusalem that Jesus is preparing for us. This may be more of a reality to us then we can imagine. As we study this book of Hebrews we can see our beloved America disintegrating into an immoral wicked land that God will judge. As we realize all this, we will focus on Eternity, not on the material lands of earth. However, this does not mean we abandon efforts to pray for revival in our Country; and do whatever God leads us to do to bring about godly rulership.

13:15

So what should we do? Again, the answer is always Jesus! Let us offer sacrifice of Praises by continually and thankfully, honoring, glorifying and praising Jesus as Lord, God and Savior. We worship and honor God as Creator, Savior and Lord. We worship and honor God with our lives and with all that He has so graciously given us. We seek to worship and honor God by all that we do, say and even think. May we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us ways that we may worship God in new and more honoring areas of our lives. Do we realize that giving generously to a good Christian Ministry IS an act of Worship? Remember, True Worship is shown in how we live our lives, day by day, minute by minute.

13:16

Again we are reminded to remember to continually do good. To be generous and sacrifice our worldly goods for the needs of others. We generously, and graciously, give financially to ministries that truly promote the Truth of God’s Word, JESUS, as Lord, God and Savior! As we are obedient in being generous to the point of sacrificing for others, God is well pleased with us. We want God to be pleased with us, yet sometimes it is a shock to realize that He expects us to be sacrificially generous in providing for others. Again, this is an area we must pray about and seek to obey God in His direction for our giving.

13:17

We are to obey those who have the spiritual rule over us. True, we have chosen to submit ourselves to our spiritual leaders, yet we still are obligated to hear what they are teaching us and obey their spiritual guidance and leadership. Those who are our spiritual leaders are to be concerned for our eternal souls, who we are becoming in Christ Jesus. We are also reminded that God will hold them accountable for teaching us the Truth, even if it is not what we want to hear. Spiritual leaders are responsible to watch over the moral and doctrinal health of their congregation. However, if we are submitting to their godly leadership, they will be able to be our spiritual leaders with joy, not with sorrow. If we rebel against those God has set over us, it will be unprofitable for us ~ that means we will be judged for being disobedient to our spiritual leaders. Keep in mind that we all have an obligation to be discerning of what is being taught. If we believe something is unbiblical, we must prayerfully ask God how we should ask the teacher and/or Pastor for an explanation. In the event these spiritual leaders do NOT teach the Truth, we must prayerfully consider removing ourselves from their leadership. Remember Acts 17:11.

13:18

Now they receive a specific call to pray for the author and those with him. Note that the only author of the New Testament epistles that asked for prayer was Paul; another strong clue that the author was in all probability Paul. He assures them that all they are doing is with a clear and honest conscience, seeking to obey God’s leading in all areas of their lives.

13:19

Again the author beseeches them for prayer; essentially begging them to pray for him so that he would be restored to them as soon as possible. Again, we know that Paul was in prison, perhaps even writing this magnificent letter from a painful life in a dreary prison cell. Paul knew firsthand how terribly painful and depressing prison life was. Remember, he suffered in prison because of only one thing: He dared to preach the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

13:20

The author begins an incredible prayer for all of them, and us: He begins by identifying the Eternal God as the God of Shalom. This is the peace that is beyond our earthly understanding of ‘peace’. This Magnificent God of Peace brought Jesus back from the dead. He wants them to clearly understand that the God Who brought Jesus back from the dead can easily provide for all their needs. He identifies Jesus as the Great Eternal Shepherd, who rescued His sheep, (that’s the Hebrews and us) by sacrificing His Own Life’s Blood. The job of the shepherd is to protect and care for the sheep, risking his life for his sheep; meeting all their needs. Thus their Shepherd, Jesus, who laid down His Life for His sheep, will care for them and meet every need. His Blood is the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant, This tells them, and us, that this New Covenant will last into all Eternity.

13:21

He continues his prayer: This Everlasting Covenant is designed to make us perfect in all good works, doing His Will. Notice that we are made perfect, given the characteristics and attributes for good works, as we obey His Will. Who gives us the ability to obey His Will? The Holy Spirit through the Grace of God; all through Jesus Christ! The God of Peace is working in us through the Holy Spirit, He is perfecting us, so that we would be strengthened in holiness so He can accomplish everything that will be pleasing in His sight. God is working out His good pleasure in obedient Believers. All of this is accomplished in and through Jesus Christ, our Messiah; to Whom shall be Glory for all Eternity. As we yield ourselves to the perfect Will of the Holy Spirit, we become God’s Glory! Jesus tells us that we are His Glory. We are to Glorify God by obeying the Holy Spirit and bringing forth Eternal Fruit. Amen. This means, So be it; or It is certain! So what kind of “Glory” are YOU bringing to Jesus?

13:22

Again the author refers to his readers as ‘brothers’ meaning they are fellow Believers. He tells them that he is strongly urging them, actually beseeching them, or fervently begging them, to hear and act upon his words of exhortation and encouragement. He states that he has written only a brief summary of the message, indicating that he could have gone on at great length with many more convincing arguments.

13:23

Now the author mentions ‘our’ brother Timothy being set free, meaning that Timothy had been released from prison. He hoped Timothy would come back again before winter and bring the much needed cloak, since the dungeon was probably miserably damp and cold. (See 2 Timothy 4:13,21) Paul hoped to be able to bring Timothy with him when he came to visit the Hebrews. (All this was with the hope of being released from prison). Note that Timothy’s name appears in Paul’s writings in 2 Cor. 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col. 1:1; Philemon 1:1; 1 Thess. 1:1 and 2 Thess. 1:1.

13:24

Then he gives a salutation, or greeting, for them to give to all the spiritual rulers over the Hebrews; as well as all True Believers, calling them saints. Those who were with him in Italy all send their salutations, meaning their prayers and greetings. These Believers in Italy were probably ministering to his needs in prison.

13:25

The author ends with the trademark ending prayer of Paul: “Grace be with you all. Amen”. Only Paul used this special reference of praying for Grace to be with all the Believers in his other epistles. This would again seem to indicate that the author of Hebrews is indeed, Paul. Notice that Paul emphasized the source of all power to obey God came directly from God’s Grace. Let us take to heart all we have learned in this remarkable book of Hebrews; using God’s Grace to empower us to be obedient to our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus; as we eagerly await His coming!

We, as Believers, need to focus on Obedience and Prayer; AND seeking God with our entire heart, mind and soul. Then searching our lives for areas we need to confess and repent of, seeking His Mercy and Grace, appropriating His Word in our lives. All the while thanking Him daily for all His Blessings of Mercy, Grace, Peace, Healing, Love, Provisions, Wisdom, Insights, Guidance, Comfort, Rest, Joy, … add others as God reveals them in your own life. As we develop an “attitude of gratitude” Praises and thanksgiving will flow from our souls, our words, our lives, until everyone will begin to see Jesus in us! Isn’t that what you REALLY want? Remember, it all begins with Faithful Obedience to God’s Word and Will. Your very best life is coming now, so go for it with the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within in you to guide and direct your every thought, action and desire. All ETERNITY is at Stake! Shalom!

Applying God’s Grace

Now that we been exhorted and encouraged with the incredible Truth of how Faithful Believers in the past have chosen to live their lives in the Faith of God’s promises; how should we respond? These Believers have shown us we must learn to live each day, each moment of our lives, in complete and total Faith in Jesus Christ. God wants us to walk in Faith. True, we are saved by Faith, and yet, we must also walk by Faith. It’s not good enough to just SAY you Believe, you must ACT like you Believe. He has shown us we are not to sit around and do the minimum. Do you want God to see that you settled for mediocrity or worse for your life? God wants men and women of Faith that step up to the challenge and seek to know His Will ~ and then to DO IT! Remember we heard God speak to us in Hebrews 6, telling us NOT to be slothful, meaning sinfully lazy and unproductive, but to follow all those who through their Faith and Patience will inherit the promises. So too, we must exercise our Faith and at the same time act with Patience, always believing that God’s wonderful promises WILL BE FULFILLED! So what on Earth are YOU DOING for Heaven’s sake?

12:1

Therefore ~ Once more, there is our strong clue to pay close attention to what we have previously learned, and how we should apply it to our lives: Now we see and understand that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses! Who are these Witnesses? Angels? The Hall of Faith Believers? Are they somehow aware of what we are doing here on Earth? Does God allow them to see our struggles, our Faith, our failures? Yet, now we KNOW that there are WITNESSES, seeing us; seeing our actions, and perhaps even hearing our words! How does that Truth strike your heart, soul and mind? It seems almost mind boggling to know that we actually have Witnesses watching everything we do! So what do we do with that knowledge? The author tells us the answer: We are to set aside every excuse, get rid of the baggage of false beliefs; get rid of everything that hold us back from doing God’s Will. Also we are to get rid of every sin that so easily distracts us from obeying God. Now, the author tells us we are to RUN THE RACE WITH PATIENCE! What RACE? The Race that is set before us: The Race of Life. Ever feel like life is racing by? Maybe God is trying to get your attention, to help you see that you are in the most important Race of all ~ your life on Earth! We are to run this Race of Life with Patience and endurance, meaning we don’t give up, we never quit! When your life is over, so is your Race; so RACE TO WIN!

12:2

Now we are admonished to look away from any distractions. Just as a runner in a race does not look at the crowds yelling and cheering, instead he is focused on the race itself, and on the Finish Line, his goal. The runner knows he cannot allow anything to distract him from his efforts and the goal, absolutely nothing! So we must have that same fierce determination to focus on the Goal, the Author and Finisher of our Faith Race, Jesus Christ. We must not let anyone, or anything, take our attention away from the goal of Patiently and steadfastly pursuing the goal of obeying our Savior in all of our life’s endeavors. Both the Greek and Hebrew emphasize Yeshua as the Beginning and the End; and so we must focus on the Truth that Jesus began in us, our Faith journey, and He will see us through to the Finish. Jesus alone is the power that allows us to begin our Eternal Life with Him, and He alone will bring us to perfection. Jesus gives us the ultimate example of His Life: He endured the agony of execution on the cross, despising the shame, yet always focused on the Joy set before Him. Jesus is, right now, seated at the right hand of God’s Throne; that is the Place of Honor by God’s Throne. See Psalm 110:1 and Matt 22:44. So we as True Believers, must endure the trials and tribulations that come our way, keeping our focus on the Author and Finisher of our Faith, Jesus. Yes, we scorn the shame, yet remain joyful in keeping our Faith in Jesus.

12:3

We are told to keep in mind, this means to constantly keep in our memories, the bitter hostility that Jesus constantly endured against Himself. Why should we remind ourselves of His great sufferings? So that we will not be tempted to give up, quit, and become despondent. Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, yet He never sinned. He always chose to obey His Father’s Will, so must we. Remember, the easiest thing to do is QUIT! Don’t do it!

12:4

Now the author really gives it to us: We, in striving against sin, have not been required to shed our blood by dying on a cross. Lest we think in our minds that it is too difficult to resist some sin, we must constantly remind ourselves what Jesus endured for us throughout His entire life, all the way to the cross ~ and He was totally innocent, without ANY SIN!

12:5

The Holy Spirit asks us to review the Scriptures that tell us that we are to expect to be disciplined as God’s sons and daughters. See Proverbs 3:11-12. God corrects and chastises those He loves and delights in.

12:6

We are clearly reminded that God will chasten those He loves. Those who are True Believers are GUARANTEED to suffer. This discipline from God is proof that He loves us. See Psalm 34:16, Job 5:7,15-16, John 16:33, 2 Timothy 3:11-12. So we often say, or maybe whine, Why? Why ME? I don’t understand why I have to suffer! Naturally, none of us LIKE to suffer, yet we must understand Why it is necessary.

A. So let’s take a careful look at some of the reasons we suffer:
1. Because of our own stupidity and sins. (1 Peter 2:20)
2. For taking a stand for Truth and Righteousness. ( 1 Peter 3:14).
3. As the result of our past sins. (Galatians 6:7).
4. Some unknown purpose of God. (Job).
5. For our Faith. (Hebrews 11).
6. For discipline (Hebrews 12:6)

B. What about trials, why do True Believers have them?
1. To Glorify God (Daniel 3:16-18, 24-25).
2. Discipline for known sin. (Hebrews 12:5-11; James 4;17; Romans 14:23; 1 John 1:9)
3. To prevent us from falling into sin. (1 Peter 4:1-2)
4. To keep us from Pride. Paul was kept from pride by his “torn in the flesh.” (2 Cor. 12:7-10). His eyes? (Gal. 4:15; 6:11).
5. To build Faith. (1 Peter 1:6-7).
6. To cause growth (Romans 5:3-5).

7. To teach obedience and discipline (Acts 9:15-16; Phil 4:11-13).
8. To enable us to comfort others (2 Cor. 1:3-4).
9. To prove the reality of Jesus Christ in us. (2 Cor. 4:7-11).
10. For testimony to the angels (Job 1:8; Eph. 3:8-11; 1 Peter 1:12)
Also see James 1:2-4. “Fellow Believers, count it as Joy when you fall into trials.”

12:7-8

We are told to consider all chastening as discipline from God. It is NOT punishment, but rather, it is designed to strengthen and transform us into the perfect person God intended. Just as we know that self discipline is necessary in order to form godly characteristics, often God must discipline us to form those godly attributes within our character. He does this because He loves us so much He can’t stand to let us wallow around in our sins and failures; keeping those terrible disgusting character traits that stop us from being His perfect child. (8.) So, you still don’t want any discipline? Well then, the author tells us that IF we are without discipline from God then we are only bastards and not God’s true children. So, which would you prefer?

12:9-10

In addition, we are reminded that we all have earthly fathers who disciplined us and we obeyed them and respected them for training us. Perhaps not when we were young, but certainly in our older years we recognized their intent was to teach and train us. Sometimes earthly fathers make mistakes. Yet we know that our Heavenly Father is perfect and that His discipline is always good and perfect and is exactly what we need for our ultimate benefit. God never makes mistakes with us. He always disciplines us towards growth and holiness and will bring us to righteousness. So knowing ALL these Truths, we should be all the more willing to yield ourselves to God’s corrections in whatever way He chooses to discipline us. Keep in mind that sometimes God will chose to severely discipline those we love in order to bring them to Him. To try to alleviate their suffering, or remove them from a trial, may be hindering the work of the Holy Spirit. We do not want to be quenchers of the Holy Spirit and hinder the Salvation and Sanctification of our own loved ones, do we? Be very careful in ‘helping’ loved ones avoid trials ~ those trials may be coming from God for the ultimate benefit of those we love! (10.) Our earthly fathers disciplined us for a fairly short period of time, and did it in a manner that seemed best to them, even if it did not always bring about the intended result. Yet our Heavenly Father disciplines us with an absolute certainty that His discipline will always bring about perfect results for our best benefit; making us partakers of His Holiness. Yielding to His discipline brings us into spiritual maturity and increased holiness.

12:11

During our time of trials, tribulations and chastisement, we are suffering and our lives seem filled with pain, grief and sorrow. Yet, after the trial and discipline is completed we will experience the joy and fruit of righteousness as, AND IF, we have yielded to God’s Will.

12:12-13

So in order to experience these good results we must strengthen ourselves and determine to yield ourselves to God’s chastening. The author uses physical weaknesses to give us a word picture of someone who is weak and faltering, ready to quit the Race. We can almost picture the runner panting, arms hanging down, knees ready to give out and allow him to collapse and crumble in a heap. (13.) We are encouraged to make straight paths for our feet. This means we are to seek the strength and power of the Holy Spirit, and keep to the straight and narrow path as a True follower of Jesus. (See Psalm 23:4) We even have the saying “keep to the straight and narrow”, meaning to do the right thing according to God. We must not attempt to take a steep path, or work, that is beyond what we can accomplish. We should also not place ourselves where temptations are lurking. Thinking we can evangelize all the people at the local bar by going there every day is not a reasonable or prudent ‘work’.

12:14

We are urged to constantly pursue peace and holiness. The pursuit of peace should be with everyone, even the ungodly. The pursuit of holiness must be continual, without ever giving up or quitting. Why should we do these things? The author immediately gives us the answer: Without Holiness, no one will ever see the Lord! This warning is for those who foolishly think that mere intellectual acknowledgment of God’s existence and that Jesus is the Savior, would be sufficient to get them to Heaven. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! It is this false belief that leads many, many people astray. Remember that True Faith demands obedience! Jesus tells us over and over again that those who are True Believers will “Follow Me”. That means that we follow Jesus in obedience. Please understand the Truth that Jesus told those who claimed to be His followers: “… why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ yet not do the things I say?” See Luke 6:46-49 Jesus says He will deny those who deny Him (by disobeying His Word). Jesus warns us in Matthew 7:15-23: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.” Notice the next verse 22: “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ Vs. 23, “Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! Notice that Jesus did not say that they had not prophesied, or cast out demons or done ‘wonders’, but that they were disobedient! We must be careful to not be taken in by those who ‘seem’ to be godly. Jesus tells us He will say “I do not know you!” to those who claim to be His followers, yet do not obey God’s Word. ” The next verses 24-27, many of us have memorized: “Therefore, whoever hears these words of Mine and does them, is like a man who built his house on the rock…” These and many other Scriptures clearly warn us that we MUST SEEK HOLINESS THROUGH OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD in our lives. As we study these next few verses and all the warnings they contain for us, seek the Holy Spirit in your own life. Ask Him to reveal to you where you are disobedient and then repent, and diligently pursue Holiness in your own life. Seek to be Holy like your very life depends on it, because it does! I challenge you to look up all these scriptures and seek to hear the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart ~ Hear and obey. Remember the seven letters to the Churches? That’s us; and each time Jesus said, “Let him who has ears, Hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.”

12:15

Be on the watch, be careful, make certain, oversee, inspect, look after, care for, be diligent; all these phrases tell us this is an all important Truth the author is conveying to us. Why? So that no one will fall into a root of bitterness. This means we have rejected God’s grace and chosen to seek our own way. It’s like the Holy Spirit has put up neon signs flashing, and sirens wailing to us: Beware! Beware! So what happens if we allow bitterness to enter our soul and spirit? It always causes trouble and defilement. We entangle others in our bitterness and cause heartache and hurt to the body of Christ. Ever know anyone who is bitter? They try to drag you into their bitterness and are hateful to the one they are bitter with. These bitter people drag us down with them into their sin! So how in the world do we avoid bitterness? If we begin to feel anger, resentment, or any other negative feeling, we must immediately confess the negative feeling to God and seek His guidance and direction. It may mean lovingly confronting the person; or removing ourselves from involvement with them, or even forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve to be forgiven. After all, we didn’t deserve forgiveness and Jesus gave it to us at the cost of His Life! If someone else tries to involve you in their bitterness; do your best to stop the verbal complaints and ask if you can pray for them. Then take a deep breath, and silently ask the Holy Spirit for His Wisdom and direction for your prayer. Keep it short and simple and avoid being pushed into ‘taking sides’ or sympathizing with the bitter person. It may even mean that you may have to say. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I’m really not comfortable discussing this.” Note that this verse says it causes the “defilement of many”.

12:16-17

Now the author goes on to give other areas of sin that will result from not seeking to obey God. The word ‘fornicator’ refers to ‘spiritual fornication’ because Esau profaned his birthright. He not only sold it cheaply, to satisfy his hunger, but he actually despised it! See Gen. 25:34. Our decisions to obey God or disobey can have irreversible consequences. The firstborn status gave one the headship, or leadership of the family; they were the priesthood of the family, the spiritual leader; and they were to receive a double portion of the inheritance. Esau forfeited all these blessings for a morsel of food! The Hebrews reading this letter were all very aware of the terrible losses that Esau suffered. (17.) The author continues on about Esau, reminding them that afterward, when he changed his mind and wanted to inherit the blessings, he was rejected, even though he sought it with tears, begging his father to give him a blessing also. Once the blessing had been given, it could not be withdrawn; even though Esau wanted his father’s blessings, the repentance was too late. The lesson is clear: Sometimes, even when we repent, we must still suffer the consequences of sin. The author wanted to warn the Hebrews about returning to the ‘old system’ which was based on fear and terror; rather than continuing on in grace; patiently trusting God to give them His promises.

12:18-19

Now the Holy Spirit tells us, and them, that we are not threatened and terrified by a mountain that couldn’t even be touched without causing death; Mount Sinai, that burned with fire; and experienced blackness, darkness and horror. (19.) And then came the blast of a loud trumpet and such a thundering voice from God that it caused them such terror that they all begged that the Word should not be spoken to them anymore. We can hardly imagine the fierceness of the fire they saw and the thundering voice of God that they heard.

12:20-21

The author goes on to remind them that the Israelites could not even bear the commandment that even if a wild animal so much as touched the mountain, it was to be stoned to death, or thrust through with an arrow! (21.) The frightening fire, blackness, darkness, terror and fierce and loud thundering voice of God utterly terrified all the Israelites. Even Moses said he was terrified and trembled with fear. The law was given to them with Fear and Terror. God is a God of consuming fire. See Exodus 34:6-7; Mark 9:43-49; Rev. 20:11-15. The law was filled with negatives and threats of punishments and death. The Holy Spirit wanted them to realize that to go back into Judaism was to go back to a place of fear and terror; rather than remain in God’s Grace and Love.

12:22-23

Now the good news of where we are now; in God’s Grace. We are now coming nearer to the City of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. We will be in the company of countless angels. We will be experiencing great joy and celebration! We are reminded that Jesus is preparing this wonderful City of the Living God, also known as Heavenly Jerusalem, and sometimes Mount Zion; all this for us! See John 14:2-3; and Rev 21:1-22:5. (23.) We will also be in the presence of all of the Church Assembly; the firstborn, or first fruits, meaning the Jewish Believers; and also the spirits of just men made righteous. Some believe that these ‘spirits’ are the old testament saints who may not have yet received resurrected bodies. This will be a gathering of True Believers, all our loved ones; those who trusted in Jesus on earth, no matter what! Be prepared for times of wonderful celebrations and joy!

12:24

Best of all, we will also be in the presence of Jesus, our Savior and Lord; our Mediator of the New Covenant; that is, the blood of Jesus which alone can bring us into God’s presence. Eternal Life with Jesus will be unbelievable ~ filled with such excitement, joy, happiness and celebrations, we will be overcome with Praise for God; it will flow out of our being with shouts and songs and all kinds of expressions of great joy and gratitude for all God has done for us. Abel was the first recorded person to offer a blood sacrifice, so the comparison is made of how much better is the blood sacrifice of Jesus.

12:25-26

So now that you know all this, Beware! See to it, or make absolutely certain that you do not refuse to hear God speaking to you right now. The Greek is emphatic that we now have a stronger obligation than ever before, because of the Truth’s that have been revealed to us. What obligation? To obey God’s Word! Now an even stronger warning: If those who came before you were not able to escape God’s wrath, we should be even more concerned of what will happen to us if we are disobedient. Woe to us if we turn away from our Father who speaks to us from Heaven through His Word. We have the ultimate privilege of holding His very Word in our hands; we are able to hear His Voice anytime, anywhere; just by opening His Word and our hearts. (26.) God’s voice shook the earth; yet in the future His voice will shake not only the earth, but also Heaven. The author is quoting Haggai 2:6 that refers to the shaking that will come just before the Second Coming of Christ.

12:27

Now the author refers to things that will be removed with God’s shaking, those things that are made. This may be a reference to the temple being destroyed in the future. The temple needed to be destroyed so that Believers were not tempted to return to Judaism and the old covenant; and also that Jews would carefully consider Jesus as the Messiah and accept the New Covenant. The old Levitical system needed to be shaken and destroyed. The things that would remain would be the Truth of the New Covenant: Jesus their Messiah would remain forever; He is Eternal and so are His promises. Ever feel like Jesus is allowing you to be ‘shaken’ to remove some old false beliefs so He may bring new, correct Truth into your life?

12:28

Therefore, now the summary of Truth for us: Since we are certain of receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken; this would indicate a Kingdom that is ordained by God, let us appropriate or utilize God’s wonderful Grace in our lives. Notice that we must chose to accept God’s Grace, chose to use His Holy Spirit in our daily life, and chose to use His Grace to overcome sin. God offers His Grace to us, yet we must make the choice to apply it to our lives. We have been warned about drifting away. We have been warned about the results of disobedience. We know we must study His Word in order to become mature Christians. We know the dangers of wilful sin. And the terrible consequences of indifference. Great and sorrowful loss awaits everyone who fails to persevere. There will be the loss of reward and honor in Christ’s coming Millennial Kingdom. Yet the loss of becoming the person God chose you to be will be the most heartbreaking of all. Never give up, Never quit. Keep seeking to obey the Holy Spirit within you.

12:29

God is a consuming fire. See Deut. 4:24. Our God is a God of Grace. Yet He is also a God of judgment for those who refuse to use His gift of Grace in their lives. May we prayerfully seek to obey His Will by the Grace and power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us in Rev. 3:11: “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold tightly to what you have so that no one may take your crown”. We must hold tightly to God’s Grace and use it so that we will produce Eternal Fruit and Glorify God.

“Oh, you of little faith”… is that you? You can change! You can appropriate God’s wonderful Grace in your life; every day, every moment, in everything you think, say, and do. Commit today to begin to strive more diligently to seek God’s Truth for your life. Seek his, power, grace, strength, guidance, wisdom .. All the wonderful benefits He has promised us. Remember, “you have not because you ask not.” Be an asker, that means, pray fervently, every day, for God’s incredible, powerful, grace, to saturate your life, all day long, all night long; so that you become the perfect, holy, obedient child of God you were meant to be. Pray and memorize Psalm 119: 10-11! Are you really Serious? Then pray and memorize all the way to verse 16! Come on, dear Christians; chose to Run the Race with every ounce of strength and commitment in your being! Remember, Jesus provides everything you need to Run the Race Successfully!

True Faith

Some of the most powerful Truths regarding True Faith are revealed to Christians in this Chapter. The definitive description of Faith is clearly and carefully given by the Holy Spirit to inspire us to obey God’s Word. Throughout this chapter we will see incredible exemplifications of Faith. These wonderful examples should stimulate us to be bold in passionately proclaiming the uncompromising Truth of God’s Word. These remarkable, brave and Faithful men and women are termed the “Hall of Faith”. The Holy spirit has selected them out of all history to be given as our examples. Yet, we know so much more of God’s character and promises than any of these Prophets of old. We have so much more knowledge, resources and understanding. We are the recipients of God’s Mercy and Grace to such a degree that we are blessed beyond measure. “To whom much is given, much is required.” See Luke 12:48. As a result, we should be thrilled to have the privilege of living as Faithful Stewards of God’s Word in these last Days! This chapter of Hebrews was written to bring you into a powerful quality of Faith that will serve to shine brightly and clearly as being His Faithful child. “Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as Present and the invisible as seen.” Dr. J. Oswald Sanders. Is your Future in Heaven so REAL to you that everything you do honors and glorifies Jesus?

11:1-2

True Faith is the assured confidence of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen. This word “confidence”, or “substance” used in ancient documents, referred to the evidence of a Title Deed and gave a guarantee of sure ownership. True Faith is our confident assurance of completely trusting God for the things we hope for. These ‘things’ are the promises He has already given us. This is the sure Hope of knowing and being convinced in our minds, hearts and souls that they are REAL and TRUE even before we actually experience them. We all operate on a measure of faith in the physical business world: credit cards, checks, our paper money, etc. Our Faith in God is far more secure than any of these things: We have the written guarantee of the Word of God! As Believers, we live in the guaranteed assurance of another reality; a reality outside the realm of our physical experiences. Even though these future things are unseen, yet we are convinced of their reality. “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness”. Genesis 15:6. (2.) For by this type of true “Faith” the men of the past were true Overcomers in exercising their Faith and trust in God. We are to have the same patient Faith in waiting in anticipation of receiving the promises of God. Let’s strive to be faithful OVERCOMERS!

11:3

By exercising this Faith, we know, understand, and believe that the entire Universe was created and set in perfect order and motion to function in a precise manner carefully designed by the very Word of God. The Word of God is none other than Jesus Christ. His Word created our Universe and everything within it; all life was created by His spoken Word. In Genesis, God clearly tells us that He created everything in existence, by His spoken Word. Both the spiritual and physical worlds were created only by His spoken Word. This world and universe that we know exists, was created out of nothing! Both the visible and invisible ‘worlds’ were created by God from absolutely nothing. For those who have a scientific bent and wish to explore these Truths further, there are excellent DVD’s on Particle Physics and Quantum Physics that confirm that our “Reality” exists in 10 dimensions. Yet only four are ‘knowable’, or ‘proved’ by our physical “proofs”: the spatial dimensions are Length, Depth and Height; the fourth is Breadth, meaning a great extent. We also are aware of the sometimes referred to “dimension” of time itself.

11:4

Now we begin the famous “Hall of Faith” listing of the Faith of Believers of past history and their incredible strength of character. Through his Faith, Abel chose to obey God and offered the sacrifice He required. This excellent sacrifice was pleasing to God and was accepted by Him, testifying of Abel’s righteousness in Faithful obedience. Cain’s sacrifice was one he chose to offer God. Cain did it his way, not God’s way, and as a result, Cain’s sacrifice was not acceptable to God. Even though Abel was killed by his jealous brother, Cain; yet Abel’s example of Faithful obedience rings down through the corridors of history to our very day, testifying of Abel’s Faithfulness and righteousness.

11:5

By trusting Faith, Enoch was caught up to Heaven with God. Enoch did not die, rather he was directly ‘translated’ into Heaven by God. The ‘caught up’ is the same phrase used for the ‘translation’ to Heaven. We often use the word ‘rapture’ to refer to those who will be caught up into Heaven with Jesus prior to the great Tribulation. Before Enoch was taken to Heaven, he already had the testimony that he was ‘well pleasing’ to God. To be well pleasing to God meant that he had great Faith and was considered righteous by God.

11:6

Notice the crucial issue is now addressed: Without True Faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God! This is an important Truth that many try to avoid or deny. No matter how many ‘good’ things we do, or sacrifices we make, or anything else we DO means NOTHING if we do not have True Faith. To have True Faith simply means we truly Trust and believe God; always, and in everything. Anyone who seeks to come to know God, must first believe He exists, and must earnestly seek to know Him. The Holy Spirit assures us that those who honestly and sincerely seek to know and obey God will be rewarded by Him. We seek to know God first, then we receive His blessing of knowing Him. God reveals Himself ONLY to those who honestly seek Him. To honestly and diligently seek God with our whole heart and soul will bring us to a more intimate relationship with Him. That is the best reward of all!

11:7

Noah acted on God’s divine revelation entirely by Faith. Think about it; since It had never rained on earth, there was no way Noah could understand exactly what a ‘flood’ even was. Yet, he believed God and worked diligently for 100+ years building an ark and gathering all the things necessary to provide for himself, his family and the animals that God would bring to the ark. You can imagine the ridicule and hostility of the people around Noah. Calling him ‘crazy’ was probably the least of his problems. As time went on, difficulties no doubt increased. Yet Noah continued in Faith, even though there was not one shred of ‘physical evidence’ of any flood. In fact, he had probably never even experienced any type of flood. The obedience that Noah showed actually served to condemn the unbelievers when the floodgates of earth and heaven opened up and caused all those who had the ‘breath of life’ to die by drowning. Because Noah was obedient to the revelation of God he showed his Faith in God and fear of God’s coming judgement on the world. Noah’s incredible Faith is counted as righteousness.

11:8

Abraham obeyed God’s call to leave his home, family, security, wealth, essentially everything he knew, to travel to who-knows-where! God promised to show him a land that he would receive as an inheritance. Yet he didn’t even know WHERE he was going, much less the conditions he would be facing. God also promised to make of Abraham a great nation, to have so many descendants they would be as innumerable as the stars of heaven. God told him he would bless his name and cause him to be a blessing to all mankind down through the ages. He obeyed out of simple Faith in God; a God evidently no one else even knew! Can you imagine hearing a message to leave all your security and family behind and go…. to a land God would show you? We would all probably say “exactly where is this land, and how safe is it, how will we support ourselves, etc. etc.” Notice that Abraham knew none of the answers to ANY of these “reasonable” questions and yet he still faithfully obeyed God.

11:9-10

By Faith alone Abraham left his homeland and lived in the land promised to him. Yet he did not ‘own’ the land, or have any legal claim to the land. He actually lived like a nomad, dwelling in tents, traveling from one area to another in the land. The term ‘dwelling’ actually meant to live as a stranger in temporary dwellings. Much like one would go camping, living in a tent, knowing it was a temporary home. His son, Isaac and grandson Jacob, were both promised the same ‘inheritance’ yet actually never received the fulfillment of the promise while they lived on earth. Yet they all continued to believe God would keep His promises. (10.) Abraham looked far into the future, trusting that the future dwelling place would be a city with foundations; the builder and creator of this “city” would be God Himself. This City is the heavenly Jerusalem; it is referenced in Heb. 11:16; 12:22; 13:14, and also in Rev. 21:1-22. We should all be seeking to know more about this magnificent Heavenly Home God is preparing. Search the scriptures for yourself! After all, this Home will be ours for all Eternity!

11:11

Through Trusting Faith alone, Sarah received strength to conceive a child, and bear the male child she was promised. She was 90 years old, long past child bearing age, when she gave birth to Isaac. Sarah judged God Faithful who had given Abraham the promise. Although we know that there were times that Sarah tried to “help God out” and actually caused disaster for herself and her family, she eventually trusted God fully. What a lesson for those of us who have made poor decisions, and made a mess of our lives; God can, and will redeem us, as we obey Him!

11:12

Therefore, because of his Trusting Faith, Abraham fathered a son at the age of 100. At this age his natural ability to father a child was long past; yet through his Faith God gave him the supernatural power to father a son. This son, and all future descendants, fulfilled the prophecy by becoming so numerous that no one could ever count them. They were as numerous and countless as the stars of heaven and grains of sand on earth. Even today, we have no idea how many people on earth are the descendants of Abraham; perhaps even you are his descendant.

11:13

Yet Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; all the Patriarchs, died without actually seeing the fulfillment of these promises in their lifetime. Yet they continued to believe and trust in God and lived their lives in Trusting Him alone. They all knew that their lives on earth were temporary, that they were aliens and temporary residents of earth. They looked far into the future and saw, by Faith alone, the coming of the Messiah and believed and trusted God. Do we think of ourselves as aliens on earth? Or do we act as though our lives on earth are more important than future Heavenly life? Where is your focus? Are you living your life, expecting the Messiah to return to earth for you and all Believers? Or is your focus on earth? Pray to re-prioritize your life, and commit your Faith and Trust on Heavenly values, not on earthly values. Remember, only a fool would sacrifice what he knows he cannot lose, for something he knows he will lose!

11:14

All those Believers who speak of Heaven and Eternal life are focused on a fatherland, that is a country promised by God, and actually a perfect Promised Land. This perfect country will be our home in another lifetime. We refer to it as the Millennium. During those 1,000 years Jesus will be the sole ruler of earth. As we groan under corrupt, greedy, immoral and anti-Christian rulers, we also long for that country with a perfect ruler, our Messiah, Jesus.

11:15

Yet, some may have wanted to return to their homeland. Remember that there were those who considered going back to the land that Abraham had come from. That is why Abraham instructed his servant to go to his homeland of Ur and his relatives, perhaps Horan, and obtain a bride for Isaac. He did not want Isaac to be tempted to return to his homeland. Even Jacob stayed in the land of Ur more than 14 years before God allowed things to become so miserable for him, that he again returned to the promised land. All this teaches us that no matter where we live on earth, there is no perfect land or country, not even our own United States. Our perfect homeland will be with Jesus in Eternity.

11:16

All those in the past desired a better country, or a superior homeland; the Heavenly Home promised by God. For their Faith, God is pleased to be called their God; and He has prepared a perfect place for them, the New Jerusalem. This New Jerusalem will also be our home in the Millennium. Yet, we must remember that the original promise was given to the Patriarchs. Jesus told his followers that many people would come from the north, south, east and west to recline with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Obviously this is all future to us. See Matt. 8:11. Are you excited about the prospect of actually meeting these wonderful examples of Trusting Faith? Can you imagine actually meeting Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Daniel, and other faithful Believers?

11:17

Again, by Faith, Abraham correctly responded to God’s testing by being willing to sacrifice his only son. (The only son ordained by God) Remember, he actually had a natural born son, Ishmael by Hagar. Yet Abraham knew that only Isaac was the son promised by God to become the one destined to inherit God promises. It is interesting to note that the Greek structure of the sentence indicates that the action of being tried, or tested, was immediately followed by Abraham obeying God in his soul and spirit by being willing to sacrifice his beloved son at God’s command. When tested, he did not argue with God, or think about it for a time. Are we as willing to immediately obey God in hard trials? Or do we argue with God in our thoughts and mind, and question His requests of us? Jesus told us that no one was worthy of following Him if they were unwilling to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him.

11:18-19

The author reminds them that God clearly told Abraham that ONLY through Isaac would future people be called to receive God’s promises. Therefore, Abraham knew in his heart and soul that since God requested him to sacrifice his son, Isaac, then God had the power to raise him back to life. Yet, Abraham knew that the implications of his Faith and actions were far reaching into the future; perhaps even into all eternity. Abraham said “In the mount of the Lord, it will be seen.” See Genesis 22:14. And it was seen: Two thousand years later on that very same mount, another Father would sacrifice His “only begotten” Son, Jesus. From Abraham’s point of view, Isaac was dead to him from the time God asked him to sacrifice Isaac. Exactly three days. All this prophecy foreshadowed the coming of our Messiah, his death and resurrection; three days after dying on the cross, Jesus was raised from the dead. The belief in a literal physical resurrection is crucial to our Faith as Christians. Remember, that in their day the Sadducees denied the truth of a bodily resurrection. Look around at the numerous false religions today that all deny a true bodily resurrection of the person, soul and spirit. Jesus told the Sadducees, when they tried to trick Him, by quoting what God said: “I am the God of Abraham, The God of Isaac, and The God of Jacob.” Therefore, God IS the God of the LIVING, not the dead; therefore all those men named were alive! See Exodus 3:6. For a careful analysis of this issue read Matt. 22:23-32.

11:20

Even Isaac believed that God’s blessings, would come to pass. Isaac thought he was giving the favorable blessing to Esau; yet was unknowingly giving it to Jacob. Isaac knew God had chosen Jacob over Esau, yet Esau was his favorite. Yet when he gave the ‘blessing’ to Esau, he knew it, too, came from God and would be fulfilled in the future.

11:21

By Faith, Jacob blessed both the sons of Joseph, giving them the same status of blessings as his other sons; thereby giving them a ‘double portion’ of blessings. Jacob also knew that the promises would be kept by God, yet were still in the distant future.

11:22

Again, by Trusting Faith, Joseph carefully commanded that his bones be brought out of Egypt and be taken back to the promised land. He spoke of the departing of the children of Israel out of Egypt. He knew, by Faith alone, that the time of living in Egypt was only temporary. See Genesis 50:25.

11:23

Nearly 400 years after Joseph died, Moses was saved by Faith. His parents knew, only by Faith, that God had a special plan for their son. Although they could have been killed for hiding their son, they chose to obey God.

11:24-25

By Faith, Moses, when he attained the age of 40, made the decision to leave the Royal Court of Egypt, lose his Royal Position of power, status and wealth, and be identified with his own Jewish people. He knew that all his power, wealth, status, and opulent life was only temporary. His real calling was to obey God and somehow lead his people out of Egypt. We all know that he did not consult God as to HOW or WHEN he was to lead them out of their slavery back to the promised land; and got himself in trouble quickly. Remember, when we do it OUR WAY it is not God’s way, nor in His Will.

11:26

Moses, by Faith, valued the sufferings brought by following the Messiah, far more than the opulent, easy life of wealth in Egypt. Moses believed the promises of God given over 400 years earlier to the Patriarchs, of a promised land and a coming Messiah. He looked forward to the promises of God’s rewards and valued them far above all the riches of the world. If we truly believe God, we will give up our earthly wealth and riches generously for the kingdom of God. Remember, we can never take our wealth WITH US, but we can send it on ahead to Heaven by obediently giving it where God directs. As the wealthiest people on earth, we need to prayerfully ask God how and where we should give the wealth He has provided for us, not for our indulgence, but rather to give for His work.

11:27-28

By Faith, Moses left Egypt; not because he feared the King, but he recognized that God was calling him to leave. Yet he was rejected by his own people when they said “Who made you a ruler and judge over us?” Exodus 2:14. God had to teach and train Moses to endure hardships and learn continued obedience in order to be able to lead several million people out of slavery and Egypt. (28.) The author of Hebrews continues to show that all that Moses did was by Faith alone. He had no mentors, no one else to work with him, no supporters, NO ONE! He trusted God alone to lead and direct him. The Passover was a new, and unusual, and unheard of, and yes, quite distasteful, yet very detailed ritual that was requested of the Israelites. Only those who, by Faith, obeyed God’s command were spared the death of their first born.

11:29

By Trusting Faith in God they were able to walk through the Red Sea as if they were on dry land. Yet, when the Egyptians tried to follow them, they were all drowned. This is a powerful lesson for us. We cannot act on the Faith of someone else. Just because someone else steps out in Faith and obedience to God, doesn’t mean we can just follow them. We must also seek God’s direction and guidance and exercise our OWN Faith in God, not blindly follow someone else. It is this very thing that causes well meaning Christians to be led astray. No matter how wonderful, or eloquent or powerful someone else ‘appears’ to be in a situation, we must not just follow their lead.

11:30-21

Only by Trusting Faith did the thick fortified walls of Jericho fall down. The Israelites carefully obeyed God’s commands in every detail as given by Joshua; and marched around the city of Jericho each day as directed. Then on the seventh day, in complete silence, they marched around the city seven times, then shouted as they had been commanded; and God caused the walls to fall down. We, and the Hebrews, are given these references to Faith and obedience as lessons for our own lives. (31.) Even the gentile harlot Rahab, the most despised type of person to the Israelites, was spared by Faith alone. She had protected and hidden the Jewish spies when their lives were threatened; at the risk of being killed herself.

11:32

Now the author seems to be saying. How many more examples of Trusting Faith do I need to give you? He mentions others who also acted out of Trusting obedient Faith: Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the Prophets. All these Faithful people went through terrible trials, suffering, hardships and even death; yet all remained Faithful to God. All true Faith is tested. Everyone who claims to be a true Believer in Jesus as Lord, God and Savior, will be tested and tried and will suffer. This suffering and persecution should always strengthen our Faith. We cannot know how strong our Faith is until it is tested by God. We THINK we are strong and courageous Christians UNTIL the trials and sufferings come. The strength, stamina, perseverance and fortitude to stand strong in the face of sufferings always comes from the Holy Spirit. If you have, or are, suffering some sort of trial, because of your Faith; be of good cheer, Jesus tells you that “Your reward in Heaven shall be great!”

11:33-34

All these Faithful Believers conquered kingdoms, (Joshua, the Judges and David) worked God’s righteousness, (David and Samuel) received promises from God, (Gideon, Barak and David) shut the mouths of lions, (Daniel, Samson, Benaiah, and David) quenched the power of fire, (Daniel’s three friends) escaped the edge of the sword (Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Jephthah and David) had their weaknesses turned into strength, (Gideon, Samson and David) grew mighty in battle and routed foreign armies, (Joshua, Barak, David and Jehoshaphat).

11:35-37

Through Faith women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured to death, refusing to deny their Faith, being willing to die a painful death, knowing they would be resurrected to eternal life. (See I Kings 17:17-24; II Kinds 4:25-37) Even today, we are seeing Faithful Believers tortured and beheaded for their Faith! These Faithful Believers know through Faith, that their reward in Heaven will be great. (36). Others with great Faith underwent mockings, (Jeremiah) whippings, then were chained and imprisoned. (Joseph). Some of the Hebrews had already endured these types of trials and sufferings. (37.) Some of these of Trusting Faith were stoned, (Zechariah) many tempted to deny God, (Joseph) some sawn asunder, (perhaps Isaiah) murdered by the sword, (Uriah) others wandered in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, mistreated, (Elijah and other Prophets). The author continues to list the various types and kinds of trials, persecutions, sufferings, tortures and death Faithful Believers down through the ages had already suffered as followers of the One True God.

11:38

Of all these Faithful ones the World is not Worthy! Other Faithful men were forced to wander in the deserts and mountains; driven to existing in dens and caves of the earth. (Obadiah and Elijah and his followers) Some of the Hebrews were already homeless and suffering greatly because of their Faith in Jesus as Messiah. May we, today, be humbled and convicted by our easy, selfish lives; doing only the smallest amount as a mere token of our Faith. May Jesus have mercy on us if we fail to hear His voice through His Word calling us to obedience to deny ourselves; calling us to really sacrifice and seek to give ourselves and all we have for Him. Oh, that we would truly be willing to give up our paltry earthly “riches” in order to follow Jesus with all our heart, soul and spirit. May we daily seek to see the Face of God in His Word and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us in completely giving ourselves to the One Who died for us.

11:39-40

All of these Faithful Believers were proved Faithful by their Trusting God. Yet they did not receive what God had promised; because God had a bigger, greater plan for all mankind. A plan that involves all of us down through the ages. A plan that will be fulfilled in the future. God’s perfect plan is twofold: God will transform each of us into the perfect glorified person He meant us to be; and bring us into His Eternal Kingdom. These Faithful Believers will also be made perfect with us. We know that the Messianic Kingdom promises have not yet been fulfilled, yet we trust that God will keep His promises and bring us Glorified into His Eternal Kingdom. This wonderful magnificent plan of Gods is one that will be fulfilled with all true Believers being joined together in an unbelievable perfect joyous union with our Creator, Savior and Lord, Jesus. Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Pray for TRUE FAITH; a Faith that enables you to be obedient to God’s Will. A Faith that sustains you in times of temptation; and in times of suffering and tribulation. A Faith that calls you to truly sacrifice on behalf of the Kingdom of God and our Lord, God and Savior!

Yeshua; God’s Will for Salvation

THE PARADIGM OF “SALVATION”. JUSTIFICATION: Once saved always saved. Jesus paid for our sins on the Cross. Acceptance of His death on our behalf frees us from the Penalty of Sin. For all Believers this is past tense. SANCTIFICATION: This is the ongoing process of God’s Grace enabling the Believer in obeying and yielding to the Holy Spirit Who grants us Power over sin. This separation from the growth and power of sin over us is a lifelong endeavor. This is present tense. IF we are truly passionate about following Christ, then each day we are becoming more and more like Jesus; and will experience less and less sin in our lives. This Grace of God is the slow process of removal of the growth of sin in our lives. GLORIFICATION: This is future to us and is the complete and total separation from the very Presence of sin forever. All Believers will be glorified. This means we will be resurrected and given a body like Jesus and be forever separated from sin. However, some Believers will have more ‘glory’ than others. The ‘Rewards of Glory’ are given in direct proportion to our obedience to the Holy Spirit. Our obedience to God’s Will always brings forth eternal fruit. Glorification is the end result of our Sanctification process. We choose our own ultimate destiny by our obedience, or disobedience, to God’s Will. Those who choose to do little will receive little glory. Those who chose to deny themselves, take up their cross in obedience to the Holy Spirit, will receive great glory. The book of Hebrews speaks to our hearts and souls about this process of Sanctification and it’s crucial importance to who we become in Christ for all eternity!

10:1

The word “For” indicates a continuation of the Truths of the previous Chapter. This Truth is the Superior Sacrifice of Yeshua. Remember, the Bible was divided into chapters long after it was originally written. Paul continues his careful analysis and explanation for the Hebrew Believers. The Ten Commandments as well as the entire system of Temple sacrifices was only a faint, or blurry, shadow of the future ‘good things’ to come. Neither of these prophetic things were actually the reality of the originals that are in Heaven. Because of this Truth, no amount of year after year of sacrifices could ever bring them to the goal of being freed from the guilt and penalty of their sins. We cannot ever approach God covered in the filth of sin.

10:2-3

We know this is true, because IF the sacrifices being offered had removed the guilt and penalty of sin permanently, then repeated sacrifices would not be necessary. Yet, they knew in their hearts that they were still under the conviction of sin. This statement makes it clear that at the time this was written, the sacrifices were still being offered in the Temple. ( 3.) The result of the repeated sacrifices is the constant remembrance that their conscience continued to bother them. The sacrifices made them aware of the reality of still being under condemnation for their sins.

10:4

The Truth is it is absolutely impossible for the blood of any animal to remove the judgement due for a person’s sins. That ‘judgement due for sin’ was the death penalty. This death penalty was not just a penalty of death of the body, but a ‘death penalty’ for both your soul and spirit. Your very identity of being made in the image and likeness of God would be utterly destroyed. Remember what happened to the angels who chose to follow Lucifer in turning away from God; they lost their identity as angels and became horrible demons. The final destination of those who reject God is the same: The eternal lake of fire. Think this through very carefully!

10:5

This important Truth is the reason that Jesus said: “Sacrifices and offerings You have not desired, but instead You have prepared a body for Me.” This ‘body’ was none other than Jesus’ body to be offered for the perfect sacrifice. See Psalm 40:6-10; Isaiah 53:11-12. The author clearly shows that Jesus knew He was fulfilling prophecy, and His Will, when He spoke these words. Only through perfect obedience to God’s Will could the Sacrifice be acceptable and Perfect.

10:6-7

The offerings were all made with things man made; such as the wine, oil and incense; or were animals sacrificed by man. The animals were incapable of ‘obeying God’ in making the sacrifice. They had no choice. The ‘perfect acceptable sacrifice’ had to be sacrificially and obediently given by a perfect sinless man. Only Jesus could fulfill that requirement by willingly obeying His Father and yielding Himself as the Perfect Sacrifice for us. (7.) This is a direct quote from Psalm 40:6-8, and is attributed to Jesus speaking: “I, Jesus, am coming to do Your will, O God, to fulfill all that is written of Me in the Scriptures.”

10:8

This is such a crucial Truth that the author does not want anyone, either the Hebrews of their day, nor anyone in the future down through the ages, to ever misquote or misinterpret this Truth: Since God did not desire, accept or take delight in any of these offerings; all of which were given according to the Laws given to them through Moses, then there is no reason to ever again participate in these types of “offerings and sacrifices”. To participate would be to dishonor and turn your back on Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross! See the seriousness of ignoring God’s Truth and trying to do things ‘another way’? There is only ONE WAY TO HEAVEN and that ONE WAY is always and forever through Jesus Christ.

10:9

The author again emphasizes what Jesus said: “Behold,” (this word indicates that this is an extremely important announcement; it would be like saying: ‘Now hear this everyone and pay close attention!’) “Behold, I am coming to do Your Will.” By saying these words, Jesus Christ, the Holy Son of God, has fulfilled the law, just as He promised He would, by forever doing away with the old covenant and bringing forth the New Covenant. Jesus willingly chose to obey God the Father and give His life on the Cross in full payment for all our sins. This statement is one of the greatest division in the Word of God. Think of it like the Grand Canyon which is placed between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant; the Old Testament and the New Testament. The New Testament is based on only one sacrifice: Jesus’ death on the Cross! This clear statement, repeated in several slightly different ways is meant to emphasize that the Law has been done away with! The Hebrews were NOT to try to ‘keep the Law’. This means that we also, are NOT to try to keep the Law, or the 10 Commandments. Wow, does this means we can trash the 10 Commandments? Of course not, what it means is that Jesus has clearly told us the 10 Commandments, and all of the Law, was just the ‘rough draft’ of what He expects of us. Remember the commandment not to commit adultery? Jesus told us that anyone who even thought in their mind an immoral thought, had already broken this commandment! He wanted us to put such evil thoughts out of our mind and keep our minds holy and pure. Remember, the battle against sin begins in our minds! Everything Jesus taught His disciples, and us, fulfills the Law. His commands actually are a much higher standard, and requirement, than the original 10 Commandments. Jesus wants our hearts, attitudes and actions to be holy, pure, loving, generous, and kind; sacrificing our own wants and needs for the eternal good of others, giving ourselves completely, just as He gave Himself for us.

10:10

Now because of this Will of God (Jesus offering his body up and dying for us on the Cross) we have been made, and are continually being made, holy and sanctified. Note that the Greek text actually denotes a continuous state of sanctification. This means we are constantly and continually being sanctified. This ‘continuous action’ means two important Truths: The actions of sanctification is ongoing AND yet it is a permanent sanctification. This means we can never ever not be sanctified, meaning we cannot lose our salvation! The offering up of the body of Jesus Christ was ONCE for ALL! If this were not absolutely True, then Jesus didn’t accomplish the ‘Perfect Sacrifice’!

10:11

Furthermore, the earthly priests all stand each day offering up the same sacrifices over and over, which can never, ever, do anything to remove sins from our souls. The emphasis is now on the daily offerings and sacrifices that were still being made by the priests, which the author wanted the Hebrews to understand were not only not necessary, but were an insult to their Savior and Lord Jesus.

10:12

Yet, think about it, this Man, Jesus, after He had offered only one Sacrifice, Himself; for all our sins for all eternity, then sat down at the right hand of God. This assures them, and us, that an offering for sin is no longer needed; Yeshua did it ONCE FOR ALL, FOREVER! The priests were NEVER able to sit down, because their work was never complete. In fact, there wasn’t even a place to sit down! Yet Jesus was able to not only sit down, as His work was completed forever, but He sat at God’s Right Hand; which signified He is God and has all authority over Heaven and Earth.

10:13

Now the author quotes from Psalm 110:1, stating that He is waiting with expectation that all His enemies are to be made the footstool under His feet. This will be a fulfillment of this Psalm. Keep in mind that although Jesus is ‘waiting’ He is not idle, He is busy preparing a place for us. This is an incredible work He is doing. At the same time He is also continually acting as our advocate with the Father. There are also other areas of important activity that are occurring. And you think you are a good multi-tasker! Note that this is an important point we should not miss, that although we are to ‘wait on the Lord’, it does not mean we sit around doing nothing. We are to be actively waiting for His return.

10:14

The Truth is that by His one offering of Himself, He has forever perfected those Believers that are being sanctified. Notice that again the action is continuous. We are not perfect outside of Jesus, but only through Him. This continuous work is practical sanctification. The Holy Spirit is constantly acting within the Believers slowly conforming us to becoming more and more in the image of Jesus, the Son of God. Also notice the ‘forever perfected’ phrase indicating the certainty of our being perfected. Our Salvation, Sanctification and Glorification is an absolute CERTAINTY! God’s Word guarantees it! We can be certain and sure of our eternal destination with Jesus forever.

10:15-17

These verses are actually one continuous sentence. Now the author reveals that even the Holy Spirit gives His testimony to us to confirm all these Truths. Since the Word of God has always been considered as God’s inspired Words of Truth through the Holy Spirit, the author claims the Holy Spirit is also confirming these Truths through the quotation of Jeremiah 31: 33-34: “For this is the Covenant that I, the Lord, will set up and confirm with them after those days; I will imprint My laws upon their hearts, and I will inscribe them on their minds and souls and give them understanding; and I will be their God and they will be My people; … I will forgive their iniquity and I will no longer remember their sins.” Think about it, not only are we forgiven for our sins, and the penalty of death removed, but God also promises He will never even remember our sins. He will never, ever, bring up our confessed and repented sins now, or for all eternity. Thank you Jesus!

10:18

So now, since there is complete and total forgiveness of the sins, the penalty, and even their remembrance; there is no need for any sacrifices or offerings to be made for those sins; they are gone, completely vanished! Since this is such an important Truth, let’s apply it to our lives. If you feel ‘guilty’ about a past sin, be honest and ask yourself, and God, have I confessed my sin in full? Have I repented and turned away from that sin? If so, then think about the reasons you may feel guilty; if, in fact, you have confessed and repented, then there is no reason to feel guilty. Understand that ‘guilt’ comes from Satan, not from God. God sends us conviction of sin so that we will confess and repent; He does not hang guilt over our head to make us miserable about a past confessed sin. So how do we change our ‘feeling guilty’? Simply thank God for forgiving you and reread the Scriptures that say God does not remember our sins. Claim His promises of ‘forgiving and forgetting’. Do not dwell on the past sins; chose to focus on God’s goodness and blessings, thanking Him for all He has done for you. Thank Him for giving His Son, Jesus to die on the Cross for you. Begin each day with a thankful heart and verbalize your thankfulness out loud. The more you praise and thank God, the less you will experience that ‘guilty feeling’. Remember, the ‘battlefield’ is in our minds! Make praising God on a daily basis a new habit. Read, Pray and Study His Word every day, making this another good habit. These are the kind of habits that bring you closer to Jesus and make life joyful. Once last note: Keep in mind that references to ‘offerings’ in the future Temple are mentioned, but these would be the Thank, Meal, and Praise offerings, not animal sacrifices for sin.

10:19

‘Therefore fellow Believers, now that we know all these Truths’, get prepared, another important revelation is going to be given to us. We now have full freedom and confidence to enter into the Holy of Holies. What the Holy Spirit is telling them, and us; is now that we are made holy through the blood of Jesus Christ; we now have the unbelievable privilege of entering into the most holy place in the universe, Heaven itself! Remember, in the past no one but the high priest could ever enter into the Holy of Holies. Yet now we, as Believers, can enter into the True and Eternal Holy of Holies, God’s Throne Room in Heaven!

10:20

So how can we enter into God’s Throne Room in Heaven? By a new and living way, which Jesus has provided through His own flesh, also referred to as the ‘veil’. Remember that the ‘veil’ was torn apart at Jesus’ death; from top to bottom, signifying that the Holy of Holies, representing Heaven, was now opened up for all Believers. Jesus opened Heaven for all Believers when He died on the Cross for our sins. He was then buried, then rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. He literally ‘opened Heaven’ for all Believers over all the ages of time. After His death we are told He descended into Hades, or Sheol. This was the ‘place of the dead’ where all deceased souls were held. Those who were faithful were ‘in Abrahams bosom’. The wicked and unfaithful were in a place of burning torment; which we refer to as Hell. Jesus brought the faithful to Heaven. The wicked are still in Hell, awaiting the final Judgement. Their final place will be in the eternal lake of fire. See Matt. 25:41.

10:21-22

Now we have Jesus as our great High Priest who actually rules over the House of God, that is Heaven. Notice that Jesus is the Ruler of Heaven and the High Priest, representing us in Heaven. (22.) Let us all come forward – we can enter into God’s presence – with a true and sincere heart, with the full assurance that comes from faithfully trusting in Jesus with all our heart and soul. Our hearts are to be sprinkled clean from a bad conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. He is quoting Ezekiel 36: 25-27 as a fulfillment of prophecy. So, exactly how do we actually enter into the Throne Room of Heaven? Through faithfully praying to God and reading and studying His Word. We do not need to go to another human being to speak to God for us, we can communicate with our Lord and Savior anyplace, anytime, anywhere! We can be in His presence whenever we even think about Him. Do you realize that Jesus loves it when you think about Him, praise Him, and seek to follow Him? Remember, you can bring Joy to God when you seek His Presence through worship and praise. You also bring sorrow to your Savior when you ignore His Will and ‘do it your way’.

10:23

Again the author says “Let us” meaning himself and all Believers, should continue to hold fast to the faith and hope we proclaim to believe. We must not waver or become wishy washy or hesitant about our faith. We must be bold to proclaim we are followers of Christ, True Believers, ready to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus wherever He leads us. We must always be bold and courageous, faithful followers of Jesus. Jesus, the One Who made the promise is trustworthy. Keep in mind that these Hebrews were facing fierce persecution, even to the point of death. So being bold carried even the risk of death!

10:24

Once again the author uses the term “Let us”, including himself along with the Hebrew Believers. Now he is asking them, and us, to make a conscious effort to encourage one another; to watch over and assist one another; studying God’s Word with one another; searching for ways of helping other Believers in all areas of their lives; encouraging everyone with sincere love and good deeds. This means we make a firm commitment to search out ways to assist other Christians and encourage them in the faith walk with Christ. This is True Discipleship!

10:25

At the same time remembering to attend our own congregational meetings; making an effort to fellowship with other Believers. He specifically tells them not to neglect these congregational meetings and activities. He mentions that ‘others’ have neglected this aspect of their lives. This is a serious matter or the author would not have mentioned it so strongly. Those who attend church, and Bible Study, on an irregular basis are setting themselves up for failure. Satan wants to keep people away from other Believers. We should make every effort to meet with other Believers, even when on vacation. In order to keep ourselves close to God, and encourage others to do so, we must make every effort to spend as much quality time as possible with other Believers. Iron sharpens iron. Believers encourage one another. As we see the end times, The Day, approaching, we should be making special efforts to spend even more time with other Believers.

10:26-27

Once we have received the Truth of Salvation through Jesus Christ; and we reject it by wilfully choosing to continue on in an habitual sin, then there is no other way to be forgiven. Remember, we are forgiven of our sins, when we confess the sin and repent of it. If we refuse to confess and repent and reject God’s provision of Jesus Christ, then we will suffer the consequences. Those consequences will be God’s judgement on their sin. Since we know that we cannot lose our eternal salvation, this sin will have other consequences then eternal death. (27.) Of this Wilful sin there will be the terrible expectation of divine judgment on themselves. A person who places themselves in this position can expect God’s wrath and perhaps even terrible physical pain and suffering and even death.

10:28

The author reminds the Hebrews that under Moses’ law anyone who wilfully disobeyed the law, according to two or three witnesses, was to die without mercy. At the time of Moses, anyone who worshiped a false god was to be put to death. There were quite a number of laws that brought about the sentence of death. See Deut. 17:1-6. 19:15.

10:29

So now the author identifies the worst sin a person can commit. Physical death was the worst punishment any sin in the old testament received. Now he wants them to then think about how much worse the punishment will be for anyone who denies the Son of God! He states that those who deny Jesus are actually trampling underfoot the Son of God. Those who consider the blood of Jesus worthless and unholy; actually profane, insult and outrage the Holy Spirit. The author is clearly identifying what it means to deny Jesus. He wants to be certain that they do not misunderstand the seriousness of trying to go back to Judaism.

At the time of this writing, the Hebrews who chose to return to the Temple would physically suffer, and probably even die, in the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. In addition, those who fail to obey the Holy Spirit and chose to deny Jesus, will also lose their eternal rewards. Will they also lose their Salvation? No, because we can do NOTHING to lose our Salvation.

10:30-31

Now the author gives them a stern reminder that vengeance belongs to the Lord. And God Himself shall judge His people. See Deut 32:35. (31.) It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Romans 12:19. Their Jewish history is filled with what happens to those who deny God and are involved in worship that is not of God. After knowing the Truth of the free gift of Salvation given to them by Jesus, and the terrible price He paid; they would be just as guilty as false idol worshipers, if they went back to Judaism. He is warning them of the consequences that their cowardice will bring them.

10:32-34

The author reminds them of the original persecution that they had bravely endured when they had first turned to Jesus and accepted Him as their True Messiah and Lord. Their initial belief in Jesus had brought about great and painful struggles, yet they had persevered. (33.) He reminds them of how painful and difficult it had been to be courageous and stand strong and firm against the enemies of Jesus. Of how they had been publicly exposed, evidently to the entire Jewish believers who remained in Judaism; they had been insulted and abused and placed in great distress. Things were so bad that they were forced to ban together with other Believers in order to even survive! (34.) They are commended for sympathizing and suffering alongside other Believers who were thrown into prison. They were even so certain of their faith, that they were cheerful about being persecuted for the sake of Jesus Christ. Even to the point of seeing their property and all their belongings being taken away from them. How could they have been cheerful? Because they knew and believed that Jesus was coming back for them and He would provide a glorious home for them in Heaven. They knew that nothing on earth could compare to what Jesus had promised them in Heaven. Are we that faithful and certain of God’s Promises? Why not?

10:35

Now, after some time had gone by, they were beginning to give up and were losing their confidence. They may have even wondered where was Jesus? He had promised to come back for them and they were no doubt sick and tired of all the persecutions and sufferings they had endured. Keep in mind that Paul had to deal with a similar situation with the Believers in Thessalonica; when they were deceived into believing that Jesus had returned and they were left behind. So now Paul (the author) encourages them by reminding them of the rewards that Jesus has promised; and that He ALWAYS keeps His promises. Our problem is the same as theirs, we are impatient. How long do I have to suffer? When is Jesus going to get me out of this mess? I am sick and tired of suffering so much! Do you ever feel this way? In the beginning, when we are new Believers, we often have such new enthusiasm and great endurance believing “I will ALWAYS follow Jesus; I would NEVER deny Him.” Yet, we must remember that Peter lived with Jesus and he also thought he would be brave and strong in the face of persecution and he also promised he would NEVER deny Jesus. Yet, we know from God’s Word that the best intentions and most firm vows cannot be kept on our human strength alone. Only with the wisdom, guidance, strength and power of the Holy Spirit can we ever hope to stand strong in the face of persecution. That is a great reason to make certain that we are in God’s Word every single day!

10:36

The author tells them that they need steadfast patience and endurance in order to obey the Holy Spirit and accomplish the Will of God. Where does that supernatural patience come from? Certainly not from ourselves, we MUST rely on the Holy Spirit to provide that kind and quality of patience and endurance that we could never have on our own. When we try to do it on our own we are guaranteeing that we will fail. Ever think that you can do it on your own? “I’ll ask God for help when I need Him, I can do this on my own!” You are flirting with the sin of pride, that attitude of “I can do it on my own”, that is PRIDE, pure and simple. God warns us over and over again that PRIDE goes before the fall. So you are setting yourself up for a terrible fall when you try to do it on your own. The author goes on to tell them that this patience and endurance is absolutely necessary to accomplish the Will of God. And this accomplishing God’s Will is absolutely, positively, necessary in order to receive and enjoy all the glorious rewards Jesus has promised them.

10:37-38

Now the author tells them that it is still a little while before Jesus will return. Yet at the same time, he assures them that Jesus will not delay His return unnecessarily. This is another indication that they were probably questioning “Where is Jesus? He promised to come back for us!” Down through the ages thousands of Believers have cried out for Jesus to come back. We even say in our day “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!” We are to be patiently waiting for Him, yet at the same time we are to be busy doing His Will. (38.) Now he quotes the famous Truth that Martin Luther discovered and that caused the entire Reformation. See Habakkuk 2:4. “The just shall live by faith”; yet if anyone fails to obey and live out his faith, then God will have no pleasure or delight in him. They, and we, are not to give up or give in to fear because of trials or tribulations, or sufferings, or any of the other many types and kinds of persecutions that can and will be thrown at them, and us. Remember, this is SPIRITUAL WARFARE! The enemy is Satan and his demons are trying to destroy all Believers. Since this is Spiritual warfare, we know we must rely on Spiritual Power from the Holy Spirit in order to persevere and endure the attacks the enemy hurls at us. This is one of the main reasons we are encouraged to study God’s Word together; and to work together and encourage and pray for one another. We can’t win this war alone, we desperately need one another!

10:39

Yet our way will NOT be like those who give up fighting for the faith and slip back into suffering and misery. He is telling them that suffering will occur, they cannot escape it! So, why not persevere with God and suffer for His sake, rather than suffering because we are fearful and cowards? Although the author did not know it at the time, those who DID go back to the Temple and Judaism were NEARLY all utterly destroyed in 70 A.D.! So the Holy Spirit was definitely warning ALL of them to persevere and stand strong in their faith.

Satan also wants us to quit! We know, and understand, that suffering will come! So we must also stand strong, persevere and not give up. We must persevere and do everything we can to continue in Bible Study to strengthen our Faith, as well as encouraging and praying for one another. Helping those in need and doing everything God would lead us to do to be obedient to His Will. He is coming back soon! It may be sooner than we realize, especially since we know it has been 2,000 years since He promised He would return. Jesus warned us that He would return when we least expected Him. How about you? Are you persevering in your Bible Study, applying His Word to your life? Do you keep your promise to pray for and help others? Don’t give up, stand strong in your Faith; Jesus IS COMING BACK SOON!

Yeshua, Jesus; a Better Sanctuary

The New Testament, or New Covenant, actually began with John the Baptist. See Luke 16:16, and Mark 1:1 and Matt. 3:8-10. The New Covenant was actually established by the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross for all sinners. See Luke 22:20, 1 Cor. 11;23-26. The Mediator, or High Priest of the New Covenant is Yeshua, Jesus. See Heb. 12:24. Salvation is three fold: Justification: Freedom from the penalty of sin; Sanctification: Freedom from the power of sin; Glorification: Freedom from the presence of sin.

9:1

Truly, or be carefully advised and pay close attention; the first covenant had rules or laws of worship and service, as well as an earthly sanctuary. Most people consider the ‘old covenant’ as the Law, or the Ten Commandments. Yet the writer of Hebrews points out that it was the worship and priesthood that was most important. The emphasis was on the settling of sins. Yet, the law, worship and rituals never really settled the sin question. See Heb. 10:4.

9:2-3

Now the writer begins to paint a verbal picture of the Tabernacle, the courts and divisions, the articles, etc. He wants everyone to be aware of all the articles that were set up to represent or foreshadow, what was to come in the future. He emphasizes the “Holy Place.” (3.) But, now there is something else, that is the “Holy of Holies”. This part, in which the Shekinah Glory was present, was separated by a very thick second veil. This veil was 5 or 6 inches thick; and this was the veil that was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died. This is all referenced in Exodus 26:31-33 and elsewhere. No one, except the High Priest, was ever allowed in the Holy of Holies.

9:4-5

This Holy of Holies, where the very Presence of God was present, contained the golden altar of incense, the ark of the covenant, a golden jar of manna and the rod of Aaron and the Ten Commandments. See Exod. 16:32-34; 30:1-6; and Num. 17:8-10. (5.) Then above the ark of the covenant were the representations of the cherubims of glory above the mercy seat. The writer then states that now is not the time to go into any detail about these things.

9:6

Now when all these things were in order, then the priests went in and out, day after day, doing their priestly duties. We see here a reference to the repetitions required to keep things in order. The bread had to be replaced, the candles had to be tended and replaced. The incense had to be burned each day; the oil and incense had to be replaced on a regular basis. The basins had to be cleaned and refilled, etc.

9:7

But only once a year would the High Priest go alone, into the Holy of Holies, with the blood of sacrifice, to be offered for himself and for the sins of all the people. This showed a very limited access to God and to only a once a year time for atonement. This is on Yom Kippur. Only the High Priest, never the people; was allowed in the presence of God. The writer wants to remind the Hebrews of how restricted and limited they were to the presence of God. Not only physically distant, but in their knowledge and understanding of God. He is preparing them for a deeper appreciation and understanding of the unbelievable privilege of knowing and understanding God in a deep and personal relationship.

9:8

Through all of this the Holy Spirit is showing us that the way into the true and Eternal Holy of Holies was not available to the Hebrews, or to us. It could never be opened to them, or us, as long as the old tabernacle and veil were in place. The tearing of the veil symbolized the opening of the Holy of Holies, or direct access to God, through the death of Jesus on the cross. Remember, only the High Priest was ever allowed in the presence of God. Thus, the New Covenant would now allow all those who became believers – actually becoming a priesthood of believers; to be given access to God. Can an unbeliever have access God? No, absolutely not; unbelievers can’t even understand the Truth and reality of a personal relationship with our Lord, God and Creator.

9:9

This is a particularly awkward sentence. Essentially, the outer portion of the tabernacle was a symbol, or picture, of the present age we live in. Gifts and sacrifices were made, and still are, in the hope of appeasing God. Yet none of these ‘things’ can change the person inwardly. The perfecting and cleansing of the inner man is not accomplished by outer performances. No matter how many outward sacrifices, or gifts, are made, it doesn’t change a person inside. We know, as Believers, that only God can change us on the inside; our soul and spirit. Only Jesus can make us holy and clean. We can do absolutely nothing to make ourselves righteous and acceptable; only Jesus can Sanctify us for His Glory and Praise. This is the major misunderstanding between Christianity and all other religions. It is the inner person, one’s soul and spirit, that must be transformed. All this is accomplished only through the spiritual work of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ.

9:10

All of these food and drink, and clean and unclean, items were ceremonial; merely representing the outward life. All of this was set up to represent the sorry state of their lives until the true reformation of the New Covenant could be established. We also, can never worship God in spirit and in truth until we have truly acknowledged Him as our Lord, God and Savior; confessing our sins and repenting and seeking His forgiveness. We must willingly give ourselves completely and totally to Jesus, then, and only then, can we worship and glorify Him.

9:11-12

Now the appointed and prophesied time has come. The appearance of the long awaited Messiah, appearing as both High Priest and King. He alone is the perfect Tabernacle, or Temple.
(12.) Jesus, our Messiah, entered into the Holy of Holies, Heaven itself, by the sacrifice of His own blood, perfect and holy, providing a permanent and eternal redemption for all of mankind. The old was by the blood of animals, shed by man, as a temporary ‘covering’ for sin. The New Covenant is based on the shed holy blood of our perfect sinless God. God judged all sin forever; past, present and future, on the cross of Jesus Christ for all those who believe and accept His perfect sacrifice for them. Jesus Himself spoke the Truth from the cross: “It is finished.” This rendition, or translation, means it is accomplished forever into all Eternity. There is nothing we can do to add or take away from His ultimate Sacrifice for us. Absolutely nothing. It is humbling to realize and admit that we are utterly helpless and unable to control or do anything without Jesus. We cannot even exist without Him.

9:13-14

All the old sacrifices only served to outwardly cleanse the sins of the people. Yet the blood of Christ was the ultimate eternal sacrifice that inwardly cleansed the soul and spirit of the penalty of sin, which is death forever. The author continues to emphasize the importance of being made clean on the inside, rather than just an outward cleansing. Jesus offered His Blood by His Spirit. Thus it is the Spirit of God, with His Blood, that constitutes the perfect sacrifice! Only Jesus, as Eternal God and man, could qualify and fulfill the required payment for man’s sins. Without Jesus, we were helpless slaves to sin, slavery, pain and death. His blood freed us from the horrors of sin, suffering, agony and eternal death. Jesus is the only One who ever could free us forever from eternal damnation. Know and understand that as a Believer, you are FREED FROM THE PENALTY OF SIN! Only when we are declared righteous through Jesus, can we hope to have a personal relationship with the Eternal, Holy and Pure God. There is no other way ANYONE can ever come into a personal relationship with our holy perfect, pure and Loving Creator.

9:15

For this very reason, Jesus IS the mediator of the new testament, or covenant. By His death, Believers are set free from all sins. This covers the sins committed under the first covenant. Those who believed God and obeyed Him were looking forward to the coming of their Messiah-Savior. Note that Jesus told the Jews clearly that He was the promised Messiah; that He had come to set them free from sin and that even ”Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and when he saw it, he was glad.” See John 8:56; for the entire Truth of God’s Word in relation to salvation for ALL Believers, read the entire 8th chapter of John for an in depth understanding. By this Word of God we know that old testament Believers were saved by Jesus, even though He had not yet been born as a human being. Remember, God is OUTSIDE OF TIME. God is not restricted to time constraints as we are.

9:16-17

A Will, or Testament, often referred to as a Last Will and Testament; is only a future promise of something to be given. The Will does not even become effective, until AFTER the person dies. Thus the Testator of the Will must die first before it can become effective. A Will has no power, or value, until AFTER the person dies. So it is with Jesus; His Testament, or Covenant, on our behalf, could only become effective when He died. If Jesus had not died on the cross, we would be trapped in our sins FOREVER. We could NEVER have a personal relationship with God, because we are sinners and unholy people; and God cannot be in the presence of sin. See the problem? We desperately needed a Messiah-Savior who could free us from the penalty of sin and death, AND bring us into a forgiven state that made us Holy before God. The Crucifixion of Jesus wasn’t a tragedy, it was an accomplished achievement! His Death and Resurrection were planned by God before the foundation of the world! (See Ephesians 1:4; Acts 2:23-24.)

9:18

We are reminded that the first covenant was inaugurated and put into place with the shedding of blood. From the very beginning, God had to shed blood to cover Adam and Eve – God made coverings for them from the skin of animals; thus He had to shed the animals blood in order to make the coverings. God’s covenant with Abraham was clearly prophetic in that it symbolized the necessity of death and the promised covenant being tied together. Remember that in Genesis 15:7-21, Abraham was told to sacrifice the animals, cut them into pieces and place them in such a position that at sundown a bright burning lamp, representing God, would pass between them. This signified God’s commitment and promise to Abraham and his descendants. The Hebrew phrase to ‘make a covenant’, literally means to ”cut a covenant”. Down through the ages all sacrifices had to have the shed blood of the prescribed animals in order to make atonement for man’s sins, and meet the requirements of the covenant.

9:19-20

Once again, the author uses Moses for his example, since Moses was the most revered prophet among the Jews. Once Moses had read and given the Ten Commandments to the people, and they had all agreed to obey them; then Moses took the blood of the calves mixed with fresh water (referred to as “living water”) and used the scarlet wool and hyssop to sprinkle the people and the scroll. This symbolized the cleansing of the people with the sprinkled blood and living water. We can clearly see the prophetic nature of these symbolisms. (20.) Then we are reminded that Moses said “This is the blood of the covenant which God has ordained for you.” See Exodus 24:6-8. We, as Believers, can immediately identify with similar words spoken by Jesus at His Last Supper. See Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20.

9:21

The Holy Spirit reveals that Moses had also sprinkled the tent, or earthly tabernacle, and everything used in the ceremonial rituals with the blood and water mixture. Although Exodus states that the Tent and all the things used in the ceremonies were purified with oil, the Jewish scholar Josephus, wrote in the Antiquities of Jews 3:8:6, that the Tent and vessels were purified with both oil and the blood of bulls and rams.

9:22

Now the author gives us a summary by stating that the facts show, according to the Torah, that nearly everything is purified with blood. This proves that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Today the modern Judaism completely rejects the Truth that ‘without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins’. Since there is no Jewish Temple, there can be no animal sacrifice, thus there is no way to deal with sin. So the Reformed Judaism has removed all references to animal sacrifices. However the Orthodox Jews know and believe that sins will be judged and pray three times a day for the Temple to be restored so that sacrifices may be made. They have some other rituals that they use to try to make some sort of atonement for sins. Yet throughout the Torah God continually reminds them that sacrifices alone are not enough. In Micah 6:8 God tells the Jews, and in effect, all mankind: “Man, it has been told you what is good, and what Adonai requires of you, just this: to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk in humility with your God.” All through the Torah and old testament, the people are told that only those whose hearts are right can offer blood sacrifices that will please God. Repentance, prayer and righteousness are preconditions for acceptable sacrifice. See Malachi 3:1-4.

9:23

All this referred to how the earthy things had to be purified. The Heavenly things also required a perfect sacrifice. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice for both man and all of Heaven. So why would Heaven need any sacrifice? One explanation might be that Heaven was the place that sin originated. Remember, Lucifer was the originator of sin, while he was in Heaven. (Isaiah 14: 12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Job 4:18; Job 15:15; 25:5; Col. 1:20) It appears that in some way Heaven also needed to be cleansed. Keep in mind that at the end times God tells us that He will create a New Heaven and a New Earth.

9:24

Jesus Christ has already entered into the Holiest Place, Heaven itself. This Holiest Place is not man made, like the earthly Tabernacle, which is only a copy of the True one. Jesus is in Heaven for the purpose of appearing on our behalf in the very presence of the Living God. The author continues to emphasize the true importance of the Heavenly Holy Place being so far superior to the earthly Tabernacle that the Hebrews should not even consider it important anymore. Remember that the Jews lives were so involved with the Temple, that their livelihood and social life were all tied together with the Temple life. It was often impossible to buy or sell unless you were in ‘good standing’ with the Temple officials. In the future, Christians have been warned that the antichrist will require that all people be in ‘good standing’ with his rule by taking his mark. If they refuse, they will not be allowed to buy or sell. This would put all those who are not ‘in good standing’ in a position of being outcasts and unable to even obtain food or the necessities of life. These Hebrews were facing similar circumstances.

9:25-26

Jesus does not enter into the Heavenly Sanctuary over and over again to offer Himself repeatedly. Yet the earthly High Priest must enter the Holy of Holies with a blood sacrifice which is not his own blood, year after year. The necessity of the old covenant demanded the ritual be repeated over and over again. (26.) Since Jesus’ sacrifice was absolutely perfect, there is no need for Him to suffer and die repeatedly. Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself ended and abolished the judgement and punishment of sin forever – for those who humble themselves and accept His sacrifice.

9:27

The Truth is that God’s Word tells us clearly that God has assured us that we, as humans, will physically die only once. After we pass through death, then we will face God’s Judgement. Two very important Truths are given here: 1. We will physically die only once. Thus the foolish notion of reincarnation denies the Truth of God’s Word. If we only can die once, then we CAN’T come back to life as something else, or someone else. 2. Once we die, we WILL face God’s Judgement; there are no second chances. We cannot decide, after we die, that we will change our minds and believe in Jesus. Our death seals our decision for all eternity. That is why to put off making a decision to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior is actually a decision to follow Satan. A terrifying Truth!

9:28

So, now, knowing all these Truths, we are told that Jesus offered Himself, only once, to bear all the sins of the world, past, present and future for all time. Then the author goes on to tell us that Jesus will appear on earth a second time. The purpose of this appearance is not to deal with sin again, but to deliver those who are eagerly waiting for His return. This ‘eagerly waiting’ means those Believers are fervently working diligently for God’s Kingdom as they pray for His return to earth. Actively serving Jesus by obeying His Word and seeking to be sanctified and transformed into His image. And what are we to be delivered from? The very presence of sin! We will be glorified and transformed into His likeness! We will be freed forever from even the presence of sin; no more temptation or evil can ever touch us!

The Truth and clarity of the reasons for a blood sacrifice are often difficult to understand and comprehend in our secular world. Yet, for diligent believing Bible students, it becomes quite clear that this was absolutely necessary for forgiveness of sins for fallen man. You and I have the incredible privilege of the entire old and new testament to guide us in searching for the Truth. Plus, we have the power of the Holy Spirit, living within us, to guide us into all Truth. Pray to clearly understand, and obey, all that God is revealing to your heart and soul, so that you can bring great glory, honor and praise to our Almighty Creator and Savior, Yeshua!

Yeshua/Jesus brings a New Covenant

8:1

Now the Author of Hebrews turns from giving us Jesus’ credentials, character and status as High Priest. He summarizes, and clearly states the importance of everything we have been learning: We have a High Priest and King that is Eternal; the God-Man, Yeshua, Jesus! He now sits at the right hand of God in Heaven. This “sitting” confirms that His work is completed. The Hebrew Priests never sat, as their work was never ‘completed’. In fact there was no place to sit. He, Jesus, has taken God’s Judgement of sin upon Himself and we are now freed from the penalty of sin ~ only by accepting it through Faith. The Gift of Eternal Life is available to anyone who would come to Christ. God Loves us with an Eternal Love, yet He does not force His Love upon us; we choose to accept Him or reject Him.

The Holy Spirit wants the Hebrews, and us, to clearly understand that this New Covenant, or Testament, is perfect! God has provided us with exactly what we need. This New Covenant replaces the old one, which was imperfect. In fact, the New Testament, what we today call these 27 books of the Bible, actually got it’s name from this book of Hebrews, outlining and explaining the New Covenant, or Testament given to all mankind.

8:2-3

Now we learn another important Truth: Yeshua, Jesus, dwells, or exists, in the Holy Tabernacle, which is in Heaven. This Holy Tabernacle, or “Temple” has been created by God, not man. The earthly Tent of Meeting, or Tabernacle, had been built by men at the instruction of God. See Exodus 25-30. The plans had been provided to Moses to be a copy of the True Tabernacle, which is in Heaven. The Temple built by Solomon was to replace the moveable Tabernacle. Yet, the True Temple is in Heaven; made by God and not by man. (3.) All the High Priests were appointed for the purpose of offering up gifts and sacrifices on behalf of the people. So it is with our Eternal High Priest, He must be offering up something on our behalf.

8:4

If Jesus were still on earth, He would not even be a “Priest” as there are already ‘priests’ serving on earth. Now, since the writer states that the High Priests of their day were “offering sacrifices” it would appear that the Temple still existed at the time Hebrews was written. So, even though the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD; and is no longer in existence today on earth, it has always been in existence in Heaven; that’s where Jesus is now serving as High Priest on our behalf. This also proves the superiority of the New Covenant, it is ministered from Heaven, not earth.

8:5

All the Priests of the Temple were to be a foreshadowing, or prophetic pattern, of what was to come in the Heavenly Temple. The writer reminds them of how Moses was warned by God to make the earthly Tabernacle exactly according to the pattern, or model, he had shown him on the mountain. This was a pattern of what already existed in Heaven. See Exodus 25:40. From the very beginning, it was revealed to the Israelites that the Tabernacle and worship, was a prelude to the “real thing in Heaven”. We need to remember this also; our worship is still “on earth”. True, Heavenly worship is yet to come! The glory and joy of Heaven is unknown to us, we long for it and our inner souls cry out for Jesus. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

8:6

Now we are reminded that Jesus already has the perfect ministry on our behalf. Jesus is the mediator of a better Covenant, which was established upon better promises. In fact, these promises are eternal and the Covenant is perfect: Guaranteeing that we are Forgiven, we are being Sanctified, and we will be Glorified! This is truly the excellent and perfect ministry on our behalf. See Jeremiah 31:31-34.

8:7-8

The Author of Hebrews reminded them that if God had intended the Mosaic Covenant to be permanent, then He would not have promised another one. Nor would there even be any need for another covenant. Also see 2 Cor. 3; Gal. 3,4; etc. (8.) The fault was with the people, not the Old Covenant. The people were sinful and were unable to keep the Covenant. God promised them that in the future He would establish a New Covenant. God tells them He will make and ratify a New Covenant. Again see Jeremiah 31:30-34. So the New Covenant brought by Jesus, gives us true forgiveness of sin, rather than just a “covering up” of sin.

8:9-10

This New Covenant would not be the same, or similar to, the one God made with the Israelites when He brought them out of Egypt. The Author reminds them that God said they were unable to keep the Covenant. The New Covenant would be perfect, just as God is perfect. He reminds them that even though God miraculously brought them out of bondage and slavery of Egypt, they did not keep the Covenant He set up for them. (10.) The New Covenant that had been promised was not written on stone, as were the Ten Commandments, but was to be written on the hearts of the Believers. The Holy Spirit writes God’s Truth in our hearts. As we learn and obey His Word, His Truth becomes a reality in our being. Remember, all Truth comes from God. External laws can never change a person. The law can restrict us, or restrain us, but it cannot change us. Only the Holy Spirit can change our hearts and souls. As we obey the leading of the Holy Spirit, then our inner man, or soul and spirit, are slowly transformed into righteous behavior. See Romans 8:4. So what is your soul? Your soul is your Identity, who you really are; your character traits, your beliefs, ideals, attitudes, everything that makes you as a person. Your spirit becomes alive when you invite the Holy Spirit to enter into your being and become part of you, forever. Once this “transaction” occurs, you belong to God forever!

8:11-12

The writer continues to give us a glimpse of the future: The day will come when it will not be necessary for men to teach one another; for everyone will know God, as He is within us. We are truly one with the Spirit and with God. This “Oneness” with God will be explored later. (12.) This promise of being merciful to us as unrighteous sinners, and not remembering our sins, has been fulfilled by Jesus. Once we truly confess our sins and honestly repent and seek God’s forgiveness, then He is faithful to forgive us and NEVER remember those sins.

8:13

This old covenant was no longer of any use. Thus the Hebrews were to put it away, or not to be any part of it. This was a call to come out of the old ‘law of Judaism’ completely and embrace the New Covenant with Jesus. This was to be the new, fulfilled, Judaism. It may shock some Christians to realize that what we believe; both the old and new Testaments, are actually the REAL TRUE JUDAISM! Jesus told them, and us, that He came to fulfill the Law, or Covenant. That means that the old covenant is now annulled and useless. Once the perfect New Covenant came, that old one was gone, vanished. Note that the High Priest was never to tear his garments. See Lev. 10:6. Yet, Caiaphas, the High priest at Jesus’ trial, tore his clothes. Then upon the death of Jesus, the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom at Jesus’ death. Thus this confirmed that the old covenant was destroyed. Then in 70 AD the temple itself was destroyed. It has never been rebuilt to this very day.

YESHUA, New and Better Deliverer

7:1

The writer of Hebrews now refers back to Melchizedek, whom is again identified as King of Salem (Jerusalem) AND a Priest of the Most High God. This is very important as the Hebrews knew that the Levites could NEVER be Kings, nor could a King be a Priest. Thus, the ORIGINAL identification of someone as BOTH King and Priest is referenced here and will be further explained. As a serious student of the Bible, we all know the story of Abraham and Lot: the fierce battles that had occurred and Sodom and Gomorrah being pillaged and all the people, including Lot and his family being taken captive. Abraham is told of the disaster and he assembles his own personal army from his servants, and goes after the various kings to rescue Lot and his family. God is with Abraham and he is able to use clever strategy and attacks them at night, taking them by surprise and scatters the armies and is able to recover all the goods as well as Lot and his family and all the people. Quite a miraculous recovery! So, on the way back to his, Abraham is met by this unusual person, identified as Melchizedek, both King and Priest. Melchizedek brings forth both bread and wine (remember this important action and comparison) and then blesses Abraham with the words: “Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of Heaven and Earth: and Blessed be the Most High God, which has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Notice Who owns Heaven and Earth; and Who gave the victory to Abraham?! (See Genesis 14:5-20)

7:2-3

The writer continues with the explanations and comparisons: And then Abraham gave Melchizedek tithes of all he had. (Genesis 14:20) The fact that Abraham gave the full tithe to Melchizedek indicates that Abraham recognized him as worthy of the tithe for God. Melchizedek was first, the King of righteousness, and then also the King of Salem, or King of Peace. (Isa. 9: 6-7) Righteousness always comes FIRST, then Peace would follow righteousness. We cannot have peace if we reject righteousness. It is impossible. (3.) Melchizedek was a type, or kind, of forerunner to the coming Messiah. Many theologians believe that Melchizedek was actually a Theophany of Jesus. Thus the writer wants the Hebrews, and us, to understand the prophetic nature of Melchizedek relating to Jesus, Yeshua, as Savior. There is no record, or genealogy, of any father or mother for Melchizedek, or even his death; this would make his role in scripture a ‘type’ of the ‘Son of God’, who would bring righteousness and peace, and be a King and Priest forever.

Melchizedek, and the Messiah, had many prophetic similarities: Melchizedek was a Priest and a King, he gave a specific blessing to Abraham, also revealing God’s miraculous intervention in his life. Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek recognizing his superiority and worthiness. Jesus is also superior over any other priesthood. Melchizedek was an ‘independent’ high priest, just as Jesus is our ‘independent’ High Priest. The Melchizedekian Priesthood was timeless. The Biblical record gives no time frames, beginning or end of Melchizedek, or his priesthood. Jesus is also our High Priest forever, being ‘timeless’. The Jewish priests could only serve from age 25 or 30, to 50 or 55 (Numbers 8:24-25) Last, the Melchizedekian Priesthood ministered to everyone, no limitations. The Levitical Priesthood was only to the nation of Israel. Jesus is a High Priest for all who would come to him. Keep in mind that Melchizedek served as Priest and King hundreds of years BEFORE the Levitical Priesthood was even established.

7:4

The writer asks his readers to consider, that is to carefully analyze, how great Melchizedek was, that even the patriarch Abraham would give him the best of all the spoils. The Holy Spirit wanted the Hebrews to recognize that there are boundaries and limitations to Judaism. Jesus has no boundaries or limitations. In addition, Jesus did not begin to exist at any time, He has always been in existence, and will always exist. Types, or kinds, of persons who represent a Truth of the Bible for the future are given to make us think carefully, and prayerfully, about our own future relationship with Jesus. For example, there are six Gentile brides who are carefully listed in the Bible in the Genealogy of Jesus: Eve (Adam), Rebekah (Isaac), Asenath (Joseph), Zipporah (Moses), Rahab (Salmon) and Ruth (Boaz). Note that NONE of these brides ever have their death recorded! Important Truths often come in sevens. The ‘seventh bride’ is in all probability the Bride of Christ, that’s us! Consider carefully all these interesting and thought provoking speculations.

7:5-6

Levites, as priests, were commanded to take tithes of the Jewish people. Since all the Levites were descendants of Abraham, they were all subordinate to him, or inferior to his authority.
(6.) The writer points out that Melchizedek could not have been a Levitical priest because Levi did not even exist yet! Yet Melchizedek was the one who gave the blessing to Abraham; keep in mind that Abraham was the one who already possessed the promises of God. Sometimes we all need to have God jolt us into thinking “outside the box”, so to speak, or differently from how we have always believed. This is difficult, because we thought “the way it was” was already correct. That is exactly how the Hebrews were thinking. In our time, we need to recognize that we don’t have ALL the Truth. God’s Word is so powerful and deep, that NO ONE understands it completely. We need to be open to hear the Truth the Holy Spirit reveals to each of us. This Truth will ALWAYS be confirmed by God’s Word.

7:7-8

We all recognize that the person with the higher status, or authority, is the one who grants the blessings. Since Abraham tithes to Melchizedek, he recognized that he was less in status than Melchizedek, and was blessed by him. (8.) Here on earth, the men who receive the tithes will all die. Yet, in this case, Melchizedek; it appears that the tithe goes to one who the witness says ‘he lives’. This prophetically points to the One who truly Lives Forever, Jesus.

7:9-10

Because we know through the knowledge of DNA, that each of us are genetically tied to our ancestors, we can better understand the Jewish thinking of “Levi paying the tithe, through his ancestor Abraham, to Melchizedek.” Obviously, because Levites are of the Jewish nation that came from Abraham, they could claim the blessings and the historical tithe.

7:11

Now the writer ties all this thought process together to help us reach a logical conclusion regarding the need for a “Perfect High Priest”. IF the Levitical priesthood was perfect, then there would be no need that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek. The writer will carefully, and graciously, outline why there is a need for a Perfect High Priest who would supersede the imperfect, incomplete, temporary, priesthood that had existed. The writer did not want to offend the Hebrews so that they would not listen to the Biblical Truth of the necessity of the Messiah – Savior. The law NEVER gave redemption and acceptance before God to the people. Their sins were simply “covered” by the sacrifices. Remember, Jesus even said He came to “fulfill all the law”. By “all the law” Jesus is referring to the Torah. Jesus actually fulfilled and transformed the law into it’s true function. The Laws of God are meant to protect us, guide us, and eventually transform us into His perfect people. The problem is SIN! We are weak flesh and we fail to obey the law completely; God clearly identifies that as sin.

7:12

Now, it is logical to surmise that as the priesthood is being changed, so also the law must be changed, or updated and fulfilled, as it were. The Mosaic Law was part of the Levitical priesthood where they offered bloody sacrifices over and over. Believers are no longer under the Mosaic Law. We have been freed from all the law requirements of DOING and are to BECOME children of the Living God. What a tremendous difference of having the privilege of Becoming God’s child. God does have a perfect plan for your life! That plan is for the image of the Living God to appear in your very being. We are being transformed ~ Sanctified ~ into the men and women God meant for us to be. God promised and guaranteed that we will be Glorified with Jesus! Come quickly Lord Jesus!

7:13-14

The Holy Spirit continues to reveal the Truth that the One of whom all this was spoken was not a Levite, but was of the lineage of another tribe. Remember, the Hebrews firmly believed that only a Levite could become a priest. So the writer is laying the groundwork to clearly help them see the Truth that the prophesied Messiah was to be both King and Priest; yet was not a Levite. (14.) All of you know that our Lord Jesus came from the tribe of Judah. Yet Moses said nothing about priests coming from that tribe. There is an apparent contradiction with what the writer is saying, and what they know to be “the truth”. The writer is meeting the arguments he knows will be used to discount Jesus as the High Priest. This is a reminder to us to never think that we “know it all” and have all truth. Remember, think ‘outside the box’.

7:15-16

Now all this becomes more evident when another priest arises Who bears the likeness, actually is modeled after, Melchizedek; yet He is of a different ‘kind’. The Holy Spirit is carefully recalling all the Biblical foreshadowing of a coming Messiah Who would meet, and fulfill, ALL the requirements of the Messiah. Remember, there are hundreds of prophecies regarding Who Jesus is. (16.) Now the Holy Spirit reveals the true requirement for this perfect High Priest. This High Priest is One Who has been ordained on the basis of His Power of an indestructible life ~ that is Eternal Life. The old priesthood was totally lacking in the power and might of the new High Priest.

Comparisons: The old priesthood was based on the Law ~ it was outward; the new is based upon inward power ~ and is inward. The old system was based on the genealogy ~ the father was a priest, then the son could be priest; resulting in some wicked men being very unholy priests in Jewish history (example: Samuel’s sons). This One had been made ~ in the Greek means an eternal abiding nature ~ He continues forever to be a Priest. Jesus became our High Priest after His resurrection ~ showing forth His Eternal endless Life. Jesus IS our Eternal High Priest!

7:17

Now the Holy Spirit quotes the Word of God, Psalm 110:4 “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek”. This confirms two important Truths: The Priesthood was eternal and the character, or nature of this new priesthood was Someone Who is Eternal. This was the fulfillment of the prophecy given under the Mosaic Law. Note how clearly and carefully the writer has revealed these Truths to the Hebrews ~ and to us.

7:18-19

Now the writer summarizes briefly the Truths he has revealed to the readers: The Law, with all its external requirements, has been disannulled, or cancelled, because it was weak and ineffective. The Law only served to show us how weak and sinful we are; it could never make us holy, righteous and perfect! The Law just showed us that we clearly need a Savior! We realize that only God can provide us with righteousness, through Jesus, which allows us to be in His presence. We can only access God, through Jesus ~ this means we absolutely MUST Believe He is God’s Holy Son; died on the cross for our sin; then rose from the dead; we then MUST confess our sins AND repent of sin. We ask God, through the Holy Spirit, to dwell within us and take over our life. Then, and ONLY then, can we begin to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. Remember, we have learned that we CAN’T obey God on our own ~ we can only obey through the Power of the Holy Spirit. We deceive ourselves if we think we can just mouth the words “I believe in Jesus” and not truly Believe AND act on that belief. All actions are required. Sadly, there are thousands of people who THINK they are Christians just because they said “I believe in Jesus”. Yet by all the Words of God in the Bible, it is very clear that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” is a Believer.

7:20-21

Jesus was the fulfillment of an Oath and Promise of God. God said: “You are a Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” The Levitical priests were not set up with an oath or promise. The priesthood was only genealogical. Yet the Melchizedek Priesthood was unique, it was by divine oath (Psalm 110:4). EVERYTHING that God establishes by an Oath becomes permanent and unchangeable. We can be assured and certain of our Salvation and Sanctification and future Glorification because we KNOW that God keeps His Word Forever! These Truths should be a great encouragement to us. We experience a sense of security and confidence that no unbeliever can ever understand.

7:22

The Guarantee, or Surety, is someone who gives himself as the ultimate security deposit. Jesus gives Himself as the best and Eternal Surety. When a person is willing to give himself as a guarantee, it is the ultimate in a secure guarantor. Judah was willing to become a surety for the return of his brothers in Genesis 43:3-9. This ‘security deposit’ foreshadows the Ultimate Surety which is in the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, non other than Jesus Christ. As we study this epistle, notice how many times we see the word testament or covenant. This new covenant is Jesus Christ Himself. He IS our ultimate security and the Guarantee of all He has promised!

7:23-24

The writer reminds them that the priests of old all died and had to be replaced, thus there was always another one coming along; which may not honor God and adequately represent them. Yet, our New High Priest is forever, entirely and completely reliable and trustworthy, because Jesus is Eternal. Other contrasts between the two Priesthoods: The Law restrains, or forbids ~ Power of God enables; The Commandments were external ~ Life is internal; the Carnal was of the flesh ~ Endless life is Eternal Life; one is changing ~ the new is Unchanging, remaining forever; the old represents weakness ~ the New brings us close to God; old is imperfect ~ New offers us the true Hope.

7:25

Because of all this, He, Jesus, is able to deliver to the uttermost, all those who approach God through Him. This means that nothing, no one, nor any condition nor situation would exclude us from God! Jesus makes intercession for us. See Romans 5;10; 1 John 1:21. The basis of our eternal security doesn’t depend on us, it depends on Jesus, and he can save forever because His Priesthood is Forever. Wow, what a wonderful guarantee and promise! Remember, IF your salvation depended on you; you could fail and lose it. BUT, it depends entirely on Jesus, and He can never fail; therefore you CANNOT EVER lose your salvation!

7:26-27

Now the writer gives us the kind of High Priest we have by giving us a brief description of His character traits. He is Holy; Guileless ~ completely without evil in His thoughts or actions; Undefiled ~ His moral purity is perfect; separated from sinners; raised higher than the heavens.
(27.) The Levitical priests had to continually offer sacrifices for their own sins and sins of the people. Sins were only covered, not forgiven. Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice, completely paying the terrible, horrible price of death for the sins of all mankind, forever. God judged ALL sin on the cross of Christ. Your sins and my sins have already been forgiven; are you confessing and repenting and ACCEPTING God’s provision? Or, are you hanging on to your sins and denying the salvation Jesus already paid for. Think it through carefully; then confess and repent daily.

7:28

The law made sinful men priests; but the Word of the Oath makes the Son of God, One without sin, to be the perfect ultimate sacrifice. Jesus, as High Priest, offered Himself, without spot or blemish; He is the ultimate expression of perfection, Guaranteed by God! Jesus paid the price once and forever, for all those who truly Believe.

Only through true RECONCILIATION with God can we ever hope to have a personal RELATIONSHIP with God. This reconciliation is given only by Jesus through His sacrificial death on the cross on our behalf. Our acceptance, or rejection, of His ultimate sacrifice, will determine our reconciliation and forgiveness of sins. This reconciliation and forgiveness is a miracle given by God’s Mercy and Grace. We do absolutely nothing to earn it. As we seek God with all our heart mind and soul, our spirit yields to the Holy Spirit and seeks to know, love and serve God. As we obey, by yielding to the Holy Spirit, we are slowly transformed spiritually into the image and likeness of our Creator God. Carefully, and prayerfully go over each section, each word, of this chapter. Be prepared for some astounding Truths that God will reveal to you for your own life as you diligently and prayerfully seek Him and His Truth. Shalom!

Perseverance in Christ Jesus

6:1

Therefore, knowing and understanding all these Truths (from Chapter 1 through 5) AND choosing to OBEY the Will of God, as the Holy Spirit has revealed it to us; let us continue steadfastly (with strong determination) to becoming Sanctified. Now, Paul assumes that his readers are convinced of the crucial importance of Obedience to God’s Will. This “becoming Sanctified” means we are being transformed with Christ-like attributes. The way we think and act should reflect Jesus. Would those who know us best say we resemble Jesus in the way we treat others? Has anyone told you that they see Jesus in you? The real danger is IF we REFUSE to obey God’s Will for us and continually disobey the Holy Spirit, we will eventually make an irreversible decision that will doom us to a state of spiritual immaturity. Do you know someone who ‘claims’ to be a Christian, yet lives their life just like a nonbeliever? We are being warned that we must CONTINUALLY strive to choose to obey God. Jesus said we MUST deny self; pick up our cross daily and then follow Him. (See Math. 16:24-27) This means we absolutely MUST deny our fleshly wants and desires; suffer whatever persecution God allows into our lives; and STILL choose to obey Jesus in EVERY area of our lives. It’s so easy to be a nominal, lazy Christian, yet very difficult to become His true Disciple. Do you want to “just get by” or become so close to your Savior that you have the deep satisfying fellowship and closeness of hearing and obeying the Holy Spirit daily? The difficult hard choices and sacrifices we make bring us closer to being like Jesus. He sacrificed His very life for us; we must be willing to do the same IF we truly want the very best He has for us. A man is no fool who gives up what he knows he cannot keep for what he knows he cannot lose. (See Math 16:26) We are guaranteed to lose all earthly possessions; yet who we become in Christ will last for all Eternity. Our lives for all eternity will reflect our sacrificial choices for Jesus here on earth. It is our choice; our way or God’s way. Only God’s way brings Eternal Rewards!

6:2

It should not be necessary to explain and teach again the basic foundational doctrines of our Faith. If we have to again be taught how to apply the basic truths to our lives, then that means we have not obeyed God. Remember, if we ARE obeying, then obedience becomes a natural response to us, no one has to ‘remind’ us. We simply obey and do the right thing. We know and believe Jesus is our Savior and Messiah. We acknowledge this Truth in our lives by confessing and repenting of ALL our sins. We quit doing the “dead works” (this would be ANYTHING that does NOT glorify and honor God). We learned and were taught these basic truths through the outward signs of Baptism, purification and laying on of hands. We firmly believe in the Resurrection of all those who die and of Eternal Judgement for all people. All of these truths should now be firmly a part of our belief system and understanding. It should not be necessary to ‘re-learn’ these Truths.

6:3

Now we proceed on to deeper spiritual truths that bring us to an even deeper spiritual maturity. We daily choose to obey the Holy Spirit. We continually worship God throughout our lives each day, bringing Him praise and honor in the way we live. Ask yourself, does this thought and action bring God Glory and Praise? If not, get rid of it! We thank Him daily with a grateful and confessing and repenting heart. We search ourselves daily confessing every sin and seeking to make certain we are being obedient. IF we fail to do this daily, we will fall into apathy, relying on ourselves, then complaining and feeling sorry for ourselves because something is not going “our way”. Remember, we want to obey Jesus and do His Will, so that the end result will be His, not ours. We absolutely must seek God’s power to overcome sin and all negative thoughts and attitudes – even in the middle of trials and tribulations! Why? Because we cannot be powerful in God’s Word through the Holy Spirit AND be negative complainers at the same time! It is impossible. We cannot be growing Christlike and thinking negative thoughts at the same time. Think about it, can you smile and frown at the same time? Can you go forward and backward at the same time? Of course not! So we must daily – even moment by moment – choose to obey the Holy Spirit, totally relying on God. So which are you choosing? It’s time to be completely honest here.

6:4-6

This long sentence is actually one of the more difficult to understand in the English translation. It is misunderstood and misinterpreted by many biblical scholars. The sentence is actually modified by tenses of a series of participles. The grammatical usage must be ‘broken down’ in order to be better understood. The verb “impossible” becomes the area of misunderstanding. It is impossible. What does the “IT” refer to? Note that the participle form of the verb is used to form complex tenses. Verse 6: “IF they do”… As long as the Believer is “crucifying” and “publicly putting Him (Jesus ) to ridicule”, they cannot repent. If a person is deliberately committing a sin, they cannot repent. If we deny Jesus by actively living in disobedience, continuing in those thoughts and actions, we disgrace and dishonor Jesus. We cannot repent while still actively continuing those actions. We cannot go forward and backward at the same time! So IT – Repenting and Restoration – is impossible.
ONLY If and When we STOP the action(s) of deliberately disobeying and committing sins, and seek God with a humble and repentant heart, can we be forgiven. Think about this carefully: If someone hits you and hurts you, then says “I’m sorry, forgive me” then continues to hit you; is he really sorry, or repentant of his actions? Are you obligated to forgive him as he continues his actions of hurting you? The logical answer is NO! He is lying, his actions prove it! He is not sorry, nor repentant, because he continues to deliberately do evil. So it is with Believers; as long as one continues in deliberately disobeying the Holy Spirit, one cannot be repentant! They may SAY they are, but the truth is they cannot be repentant and continue to commit sin. You cannot go North and South at the same time. Nor can you continue to commit evil and claim to be a repentant Believer; you are lying! Thus it is impossible IF you continue in this manner.
However, once you stop the sinful action and you humbly seek forgiveness and truly repent of the evil action – firmly seeking to not commit that action again – then forgiveness can occur. If you REFUSE to repent, and turn away from the sinful act, then IT cannot be forgiven.

6:7

Now the Holy Spirit continues with His warning to us by telling the Hebrews – and us – this parable: Just as the earth receives the rain that falls on it on a regular basis, then produces vegetation – crops and fruit that are beneficial to those for whom it was grown, it receives a blessing from God. As we are obedient to the Will of God, through the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, we will produce godly fruit that brings blessings to others. At the same time, we are laying up – or storing- Rewards and blessings for ourselves at the Judgement seat of God. This refers to the Bema Seat of Judgement; where Jesus is the Judge of the Universe. These are the works or fruits that are described as “gold, silver, precious gems”; or as “wood, hay and stubble.” (See 1 Corth. 3:15) Jesus gives rewards to those who have been obediently faithful to His Will. (See Math 18:23-35; 24:42-51; 25:14-30 and Mark 8:34-38 and Luke 12:1-12; 41-48; 19:11-27. These are just a few of the many scriptures that tell us that Jesus has wonderful Rewards He has planned for us to receive IF WE ARE FAITHFULLY OBEDIENT TO THE HOLY SPIRIT! Can we lose those Rewards? Absolutely! Reread and pray about this issue, as it is one of the most important aspects of your Spiritual walk with Jesus. Keep in mind that these “REWARDS” are Eternal!

6:8

HOWEVER, Now here comes another part of the warning: IF the soil or earth – representing the person who claims to be a Believer – bears or yields thorns and thistles, that are worthless and cursed; because thorns and thistles hurt people; just as sins hurt ourselves AND other people; then those ‘works’, or ‘fruits’, are completely burned up! See 1 Corth. 3:15. Who burns them up? Jesus! Why? So that all evil works are destroyed! Remember, Those Believers can still receive Eternal Life. Yet, their evil works must be destroyed! The end result of evil works is destruction!

6:9

Even though this strong and convicting language is being used, the Holy Spirit is confident that the Hebrews – and all true Believers – do not fit into the “fallen away” category. Those who have given up and quit; or out of apathy, ignored the study of God’s Word and because they failed to see God through the diligent study of His Word, they then failed to hear and obey Him. Are they excused because they “didn’t know any better?” NO, absolutely NOT! God requires us to seek Him with our whole heart, mind and soul. If we passionately search for God, we will find Him; He promises us that! So, either God lied to us, or we didn’t truly search and seek Him with all our heart, mind and soul. See what Jesus says in Matt. 22:37 and Luke 10:27. If we fail to truly know God, and thus do not obey the Holy Spirit, then we fail to bring God’s blessings to others and fail to lay up treasures in Heaven for all Eternity. We actually bring about our own failure! These two things, bringing God’s blessings to others and laying up treasures in Heaven go hand in hand with salvation and sanctification. So how do we KNOW we are being Sanctified? IF we are obeying the Holy Spirit and producing godly fruit we bring Glory, Honor and Praise to our Lord and Savior! We can rejoice and have great joy and satisfaction in obeying God. Soul searching is good here!

6:10

Now the Holy Spirit assures them, and us, that God IS righteous and He will honor our labor of love which we are producing for His name’s sake – in the name of Jesus – in obedience to the Will of the Holy Spirit – in ministering to the needs of His saints. These “saints” refers to the other believers. God is keeping very careful records of every little thing we do ( and don’t do) for His Kingdom. Those of us who obey the Holy Spirit are living joyful and useful lives for Jesus. We should thank God with all our heart and soul that He loves us so much to give us these wonderful opportunities of studying His Word, understanding His Word AND faithfully applying it to our lives. We are now, right now in this Bible Study, living out His Word in our lives and bringing Him great Glory, Honor and Praise. What a wonderful privilege and honor He has given us! Thank you Jesus!

6:11

BUT, now comes another part of the warning, The Holy Spirit says He earnestly desires that each of us would show diligence and self discipline in everything we promise to do in Jesus’ name. We are to “keep our word”. God’s Word is always True; is yours? Do you honor your Lord and Savior by keeping your word and promises? If we say we will do something, we must be men and women of integrity who can be counted on to follow through and do what we say we will do! There is no worse witness to Jesus than a Believer who FAILS to KEEP THEIR WORD! You can’t count on them, they let down the body of Christ and disobey God when they fail to keep their verbal commitments. Remember, anyone can say “I believe” yet the proof of your belief is in “Obedience”. Obeying the Holy Spirit means we hear God’s Word and then obey – by COMPLETING the work or project. Anyone can quit, it is the easiest thing to do, just quit. Yet the true Believer will have the fortitude, perseverance and patience to see the work completed; regardless of the sacrifices necessary. That is when the Believer experiences growth in utilizing the transforming Power of the Holy Spirit. The more you obey and keep your commitments to God, the more you will experience the unbelievable joy in knowing you are REALLY becoming transformed into the image and likeness of Jesus! You are being Sanctified! True success in life is the God given ability to understand God’s Word and put it into day to day practice in your life. A truly successful person ALWAYS GLORIFIES GOD! God ALWAYS keeps His Word. We dishonor Jesus, and His Word, whenever we fail to keep our word and commitments. This is actually a form of blasphemy!

6:12

Now the Holy Spirit continues to encourage us – literally cheering us on in developing the character traits that define a mature Believer. The Holy Spirit does not want us to become “spiritual sluggards”. Our behavior will prove how much we love and trust our Lord and Savior. Our very personalities are being transformed into those that truly reflect Jesus. We teach and encourage others, we are lovingly honest and challenge others to seek Jesus in their lives by studying His Word and obeying Him. We seek guidance, direction, power and wisdom from the Holy Spirit in all we do in life. We are patient and loving towards others who are still struggling. We learn to be merciful and forgiving, even when they don’t ‘deserve’ it. Yet we are truthful and honest in dealing with our own sins and those of others. We must think and pray “What would Jesus do?” We pray and search His Word to find what the Holy Spirit would want us to do. As you are being transformed into a mature Christ-like Believer, you will find your life becomes a series of prayers-in-action. All life becomes a continuous prayer. Yes, the Holy Spirit did tell us to “Pray without ceasing”. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Now, we must encourage others to do the same!

6:13-15

Next the author switches back to the references of God’s promises. God assures us He will ALWAYS Keep ALL His promises. When one makes a promise they often swear to it by referencing to God or the Bible. God swears by Himself since He IS the Ultimate Power. The Bible assures us that there is no one greater than God. (14.) The Holy Spirit reminds us that God assured Abraham that He will assuredly (with God’s own Word of guarantee) bless and multiply him. (See Gen. 22:16-17). (15.) The last reference to His promises to Abraham; is that we are reminded that God fulfilled His promise to Abraham. Even though Abraham had to wait long and patiently. Isaac was the miracle son given to Abraham; the son of promise. Isaac was the pledge of the future blessings that would bring about the Nation of Israel and the birth of the true miracle Son of God – Jesus, our Emmanuel, God with us; our Savior and Messiah!

6:16-17

All through the ages men have pledged and sworn by someone much greater than themselves. With this oath comes a confirmation that what is spoken will be fulfilled. This spoken oath – Word – assures us that the promise will be fulfilled. (17.) God uses this “sworn oath” process to assure them, and us, that His Promises will be kept. His plans will be fulfilled. His purpose for mankind are always certain and secure. If we doubt God, then we are saying we do not believe the Word and Oath of the Creator of the Universe! Jewish law requires two qualified witnesses to prove a Truth. Those “two witnesses” are the Word and Oath of God.

6:18

God gives us all these proofs and assurances so we will be utterly and completely convinced that He always and forever has complete and total control of every single aspect of our lives. We may need to read that statement over a few times until it sinks into our very soul and heart. God has the very best plan for our lives for all Eternity and He guarantees us that He will fulfill His perfect plan. We actually are fleeing from the draw of sin, pain and death as we obey God. Now, how do we show we do NOT believe God. One way is to worry. IF we worry it is because we don’t believe or trust God. Think about it. If we truly believe He loves us and has a perfect plan for our lives we simply CANNOT WORRY! If you think you can worry and still trust God you are deceiving yourself – lying to yourself and believing your own lie. Remember who the author of lies is – Satan! So beware. If the emotion of fear begins to creep into your thoughts – immediately call out to Jesus – “ Jesus I trust you, I believe you love me, please protect me, help me, give me courage and strength, please give me wisdom and guidance.” Keep on praying until you KNOW God is with you, taking care of you, protecting you, hearing your cry for help. Don’t stop praying! Pray without ceasing! Even as you proceed in what you must do, continue in prayer! He knows your needs before you even cry for help. God assures us by these verses that He is our Stronghold, our Power, our Provider, our Healer – He is Everything we can possibly need in life. We must practice trusting Him, continually and fervently. So, how do we begin? By trusting God for the smaller, more simple things in life. Things we think we can handle ourselves. We deceive ourselves if we think we are ‘in control’ of anything. As we practice trusting God for our every day daily needs, AND recognizing and thanking Him for His Love, care and provision, we will make trusting Him a habit. This “Trusting God habit” will serve you well when a bigger trial or tribulation comes along in life. Trust God, you WILL have trials and tribulations, you know they will come your way.

6:19

Now we can all be certain that this sure Hope is an absolute Truth verified by God Himself. This assurance of God providing for and protecting us forever, serves as an anchor of our soul. Now we know that no one, or no thing, or any circumstances of life can interfere or cause God’s promises to fail. Nothing can separate us from God’s Love. (Romans 8: 35-39) The reference to “entering the veil” refers to the veil that could not be passed through into the Holy of Holies – The very presence of God – Except by the High Priest only once a year to provide atonement – a sacrifice- for the sins of the people. (Leviticus 16:2) The High Priest was the one ordained by God to offer the sacrifice for the sin of the people. Jesus offered the sacrificial Lamb – Himself, as the Lamb of God – for our sins. We now have the incredible privilege of entering into God’s Holy Presence because Jesus has gone before us and opened the way.

6:20

Jesus, as our “High Priest” has entered into Heaven. He has opened up Heaven to us. We can now speak directly to God because of Jesus’ sacrificial death. He paid the sin price so we can pray directly to God and be heard. We “enter into the presence of God” literally the “Holy of Holies” so we can have a personal loving relationship with our Creator. This relationship means we must be sincere and diligent in seeking to obey Jesus. You cannot have a relationship with someone if you are not truthful with them. Jesus has already paid the price for our sin on the cross, yet we must confess, repent and ACCEPT His sacrifice in order to receive that forgiveness from God the Father. The Holy Spirit wants us to understand exactly what Jesus has done to give us the unbelievable privilege of entering into God’s Holy Presence. The constant references to Melchizedek let the Hebrews know that Jesus had a far superior status before God then even that of Melchizedek.

It is crucial that we grasp these important concepts of God’s Truth in order to fully understand very important Truths that the Holy Spirit will be revealing to us in future chapters of Hebrews. Pray to be prepared for the exciting transformation God has planned for your life!

Qualifications for Spiritual Maturity

Quick review. SALVATION: Justification is the freedom from the Penalty of sin; all true Believers ALREADY are Justified. Sanctification is freedom from the Power of sin; true Believers must continuously USE God’s Power through the Holy Spirit (remember, this is a lifelong process). Glorification is the Future freedom from the Presence of sin; Jesus guarantees we will be Glorified (this will occur at the Rapture, or upon our physical death).

The comparison between Jesus, the God/Man, and all others, has been clearly defined and proved by scripture. Jesus is superior than any and all Angels; Jesus is the perfect Apostle, superior to Moses; Jesus is the Perfect Leader, better than Joshua; and He is our perfect High Priest, superior to Aaron. Our New Covenant is far superior, actually perfect, in comparison to the Old Covenant. All these reminders were given by the writer to encourage their Faith and Obedience to Jesus, their Messiah.

When we casually read about the ancient sacrifices, we often miss the shocking, gruesome, bloody reality. We don’t read about the pain and suffering; yet all of these aspects pointed to the penalty of sin. Yet if we were to step back and imagine ourselves witnessing the High Priest killing the animals, seeing their suffering and pain and witnesses their blood spurting out, draining into the bowls and on the ground, we would no doubt be horrified. Can you imagine someone handing you the knife and saying “You must kill this animal and drain out the blood and complete the sacrifice”? Jesus, our High Priest AND the Sacrificial Lamb, had to suffer horribly and painfully; eventually dying a painful bloody death to pay the awful penalty of our sins.

5:1-2

The ancient Levitical system of the Priesthood required the High Priest be divinely appointed and have the ability to sympathize and empathize with the people. The whole reason for the Priesthood was the atonement necessary for sin. Jesus empathizes and sympathizes with our sin nature as God and man. He suffered the same temptations we suffer. Jesus was also divinely appointed by God the Father. True, Jesus is Prophet, Priest and King; yet He is also the Lamb of God, the holy perfect Son of God that willingly allowed Himself to be sacrificed for our sins.

5:3-4

The High Priest had to offer a sacrifice for his own sins BEFORE he could offer the sacrifice for the people. He had to be ‘purified’ before he was qualified to even offer the sacrifice. If the High Priest failed to repent and offer sacrifice for Himself properly, then tried to offer the sacrifice for the people, he would die. Since only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies for the sacrifice, a rope, or cord, was tied around his ankle so that IF he died, the other priests could drag out his dead body from the Holy of Holies! Jesus never sinned, thus He did not have to offer anything for Himself. If Jesus had sinned, His sacrifice would have been absolutely worthless. (4.) No one would ever attempt to claim to be the High Priest without being called by God. The Levitical system allowed for the casting of Lots to see who would be chosen by God to serve as High Priest.

5:5-6

The writer assures all the Believers that Jesus, the Messiah, did not seek to glorify Himself by becoming High Priest, but God the Father specifically called Jesus to be the High Priest. He quotes two scriptures: “…You are My Son…Today I have begotten You..” from Psalm 2:7; also in Psalm 110:4 God says “You are a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Jesus had already quoted Psalm 110:1 to confound the Pharisees to show that He was truly the Son of God.

5:7

Now the Holy Spirit shifts to recounting what Jesus experienced on earth in His human body and emotions. We tend to think that Jesus did not suffer like we do because He is God and man; yet that is not true, He suffered more than we do because He was constantly attacked by evil. Despite these repeated and vicious attacks, He relied on His Father, and the Word of God, to guide Him to always do His Fathers Will. Jesus knew that only by continually focusing on God the Father and seeking His Will in everything could He avoid sin. Notice that Jesus cried out to God in the Garden of Gethsemane for deliverance. Jesus did not want to be separated from His Father, nor did He want the horrible suffering that He knew was coming, yet despite the sorrow and grief He experienced He threw Himself on the ground on His face and cried out: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me, nevertheless, not my will, but Your Will be done.” Math. 26:39).

5:8

Jesus experienced and put into daily practice Obedience to His Father in heaven. Jesus had diligently studied God’s Word. He knew it so well that He could quote anything in the Scriptures to show how God’s Word applied to every aspect of His life. Do we realize that God’s Word applies to every area of our lives? Remember, He amazed the Doctors of the Law in the Temple when He was only 12 years old. They were not only amazed by his questions but were astounded by His knowledge and understanding. (Luke 2:42-52). The term “learned” did not refer to new intellectual knowledge, but rather human experience of obedience.

5:9-10

This verse is crucial to our understanding of the uncompromising Holiness of our Creator. Jesus came to earth for a specific reason, a special goal. He came to rescue and redeem all mankind. God’s goal has always been to bring all Believers into a permanent glorified relationship with Him. If God had allowed Jesus to avoid the cross, we would all be dead in our sins, doomed to eternal damnation and suffering in the lake of fire. Worse, Satan and the demons would have won against God! So, Jesus HAD TO DIE FOR US! It was His life’s Goal, His eternal Mission. Only Jesus, in all of the Universe, had the Power and qualifications to rescue mankind. Jesus proved it by dying on the cross, being buried, then rising from the dead on the third day! Jesus became the “firstborn among many brothers” Romans 8:29 Jesus assures us the ONLY way to Eternal Life is through Him. The Holy Spirit clearly tells us that Jesus is our only source of eternal deliverance “to all who obey Him”. Notice that Salvation is NOT to all who cry “Lord, Lord..” (See Math. 7:21-29) but ONLY to those who OBEY Him. You say you are a Believer? Really, how are you doing in OBEYING Him? You see, Jesus is Righteous and Holy; His very character as God cannot even be in the presence of sin. So we absolutely MUST be forever removed from even the presence of sin, in order to be with Jesus in Heaven. (10.) This Truth is so crucial that the Holy Spirit repeats it again that God confirmed that Jesus, His only Son, was our High Priest, eternally. That is, of the order of Melchizedek. (See Genesis 14:18-20)

5:11

Now the Holy Spirit speaks to all Believers down through the ages! We are warned that this subject of Obedience and Sanctification is so crucial to who we become forever, that He gives us strong admonitions! Why is this Truth so hard to explain? Because we are hard of hearing spiritually. We are hard hearted. Remember that repeated warning? It is not that we can’t hear God, it is that we won’t hear Him! God is begging and pleading with us to listen to Him, to hear Him, to obey Him; not for His benefit, but for ours. Our Eternal existence with God is at stake. When Jesus judges all true Believers at the Bema Seat of Judgement; all our actions, words and even our hidden thoughts will be judged. Those that are in obedience with God will bring us glorification; those that are not, will cause us to lose our rewards forever. The Holy Spirit is striving with our hearts and souls because Jesus wants us to have full Glory with Him!

5:12

Now we, and they, are really being chastised! By this time in our walk with Jesus we should be teaching others of God’s wonderful forgiveness and love, that Jesus alone gives us Eternal Life; teaching them all His Truths. Remember, Jesus gave us the ‘great commission’ to “MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations, …teaching them all I have taught you!” (See Math. 28:18-20; Mark 16:14-20; Luke 24:46-53;) Instead, we are still like little children, having to be taught the basic foundational Truths of God’s Word. We are like babies needing milk, when we should be on solid food. The Holy Spirit gives us this shocking Truth to jolt our consciences into action. He’s giving us a boot in the fanny, so to speak. Do you hear Him speaking to you? Choose obedience!

5:13

Just in case we delude ourselves into thinking ‘I’M CERTAINLY NOT A BABY,’ the Holy Spirit tells us that IF we still need to drink milk, it means we really are immature Christians. How do we know? Because mature Christians strive diligently to apply God’s Word to their lives in righteousness. This means that mature Believers are living, breathing examples of Christians that display the fruit of the Spirit in their lives EVERY DAY. (See Galatians 5:16, 22-26 and Ephesians 4:1-6) So, how do we graduate into mature Believers? It is NOT EASY! It’s hard work, it means sacrifices, self-discipline, obedience to God’s Word. Beware of the sin of PROCRASTINATION, it causes many well intentioned Christians to fail. Are you REALLY Thankful Jesus came to save you? If you are, then ask God what you can do to be obedient. Jesus says to ‘Feed the poor” so what are you doing? Do more than the minimum; bringing a can or two of food to the Church. Sacrifice. Write a generous check to the Food Bank, or Samaritan’s Purse, or World Vision, or Food for Kids, or…. you get the message. Consider joining us in our LIVE FOREVER missionary work! We are the richest people on earth; let’s be sacrificially generous to the poor, both physically and spiritually.

5:14

God’s Truth and understanding are for those who are growing, and striving to be obedient and become mature. We want to be like Jesus. We can’t just sing about it, we have to study His Word and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us; then OBEY. Solid food; that is the difficult study we are doing right now, is for mature Believers. This study is very hard for the beginning Believer. As we strive to study, understand and OBEY God’s Word, we slowly become mature Believers. God is VERY PLEASED with all those who study His Word; praying and striving to obey. You are on the right road, keep up the good work, don’t give up. The easiest thing to do it to QUIT. Don’t do it. Satan can only beat you IF you let him. Choose to follow Jesus, not Satan. Remember, God has given you His POWER over sin, use it, or lose it.

Remember, to follow Jesus requires a daily study of His Word, a daily prayer life, and daily obedience to the Holy Spirit. Join together with other dedicated, fervent Believers to encourage yourself and others. Remember to pray for one another, every day!