Tag Archives: Hebrews

Hebrews 8-9

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Hebrews 8-9 continues the description of Christ’s work and the redemption we have through him. God has made a covenant with us, saying “I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people”.

This new covenant is based on the work of Christ, who “appeared as a high priest… entered once for all into the holy places…by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” Through the blood of Christ, our conscience can be purified from dead works to serve the living God.Christ now sits on the right hand of God, able “to appear in the presence of God on our behalf”.

This is such an incredible offer we’ve been given, and it came at such a high price. The amount of love shown by both God and Christ we can scarcely comprehend. Let us be motivated by that love to change our lives, to grow in our spirituality, and to make God a reality in our life.

Hebrews 1-2

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The writer of Hebrews commences by describing the supremacy of God’s son. The heir of all things, worshipped by angels, sitting at the right hand of God having made purification for sins through his sacrifice, made perfect through suffering, crowned with glory and honour.

Yet Christ was “made like his brothers in every respect… able to help those who are being tempted.” We’re told that Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters. He is a merciful and faithful high priest. So we’re exhorted to “pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” The salvation we’ve been offered is the greatest gift one could ever receive.  Let us not “neglect such a great salvation”, but make it a real and active part of our daily life.

 

 

Ezra 1-2

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In Ezra 1 we read of the fulfilment of a promise God made years earlier, with details provided to Isaiah 200 years before the event. God promised that at the end of 70 years captivity in Babylon, the Jews would be brought back to Jerusalem, and now Cyrus king of Persia was persuaded to do just that. The main motivation for the Jews to leave their home of 70 years and return is “to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem”.

Just as “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia” to acknowledge God and to do His will, the Jews who returned also had their spirits stirred (roused, woken up) by God. We can be similarly motivated, stirring up each other “to love and good works”, reassured that our faith is not in vain by this example of God’s promise being precisely fulfilled.

Acts 18-19

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In Acts 18-19, Paul receives a vision telling him “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you”.  So Paul continues in Corinth for 18 months, teaching the gospel to anyone who would listen, demonstrating time and again his willingness to put the teaching of the gospel ahead of his own wellbeing.

We have been told something similar. God has said “‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me'”. Like Paul, we should have no reason to hinder us from preaching the gospel, and living it in our lives.

John 19

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In his final hours, Jesus continued his life-long practise of putting others ahead of himself. He directs John to take care of his mother, offers hope to the thief beside him, and remains focused on his purpose sufficiently to ensure he fulfilled prophecy. His final hours convinced a centurion of the veracity of Jesus’ words, and inspired Joseph and Nicodemus to stand up for their beliefs.

The king of the Jews died a painful, protracted death in order for us to have hope of life everlasting. This paradox confounds the wise, leaving the way open for us, the weak of the world, to be part of God’s promises.  The sacrifice offered once has destroyed the power of death. Let us hold fast with confidence to our hope, allowing it to become real and evident in our lives, that we might one day enter that sabbath rest to which we’ve been invited

John 11

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The story of Lazarus is both confronting and inspirational. Although it caused Jesus intense grief, he delays the healing of Lazarus in order to instead raise him from the dead.  Having complete trust in God to protect him and his disciples from harm, Jesus returns to Judea where the Jews had previously sought to stone him, and discovers that Lazarus had already been dead for 4 days.

Both Mary and Martha struggled to understand why Jesus hadn’t returned in time to heal Lazarus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  Jesus consoled Martha with the words “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die“.

These words describe our hope also. Let us likewise live in Jesus, demonstrating our belief to those around us, confident that we too can receive the crown of life promised to those who love God, “for He who promised is faithful“.

1 Corinthians 8-9

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Paul reminds us that we are running a race, but one very different to the races his readers were used to. The race we run is not for a perishable wreath, but an imperishable one. Although the first place has already been won by Jesus, everyone that makes progress in this race is counted as a winner.  This race requires one to run with direction and purpose, not aimlessly like a boxer punching the air.

This is a race that Paul wanted everyone to win, making himself a servant to all, that “by all means I might save some“.  Like Paul, helping others along the way is a critical part of running our race. Stopping along the way to spend time with those in need, or who have stumbled, is as much the point of the race as progressing towards the finish line. “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.“

Isaiah 50, Revelation 10-11

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Isaiah 50 is one of the “servant prophecies” that refers to Jesus. It describes Jesus’ constant communication with God, submission to those that tortured him, trust in God, and reliance on God’s protection.  It provides an insight into the difficulty of Jesus’ life, as he endured so that we could have hope of salvation.

By contrast, Revelation 11 gives us a glimpse of the future kingdom, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever”. This is part of our hope, our motivation, for taking up our cross and following Jesus, looking for that city whose builder and maker is God.

 

Hebrews 13

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Hebrews continues its theme of strengthening and encouragement. God “has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

This world offers us nothing, instead “we seek the city that is to come”, available to us through the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus.

“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Joshua 22, Isaiah 28, Hebrews 11

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In Joshua 22 we read about the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh building an altar of witness, a permanent object to remind them and their descendants that they were part of the covenant made with God, to serve God and keep the law.  They describe the altar as “a witness between us that the Lord is God.”

God says in Isaiah 28 “I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation”.

Hebrews 11 describes faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” We’ve never physically seen that sure foundation that God created. We have no physical monument to remind us of the covenant we’ve made with God. But through faith, we know that the sure foundation of Christ exists, that we can build our lives on the certainty of God’s promise.  Through faith, we can be witnesses to each other, to encourage and remind of that covenant made with God, and help each other grow and develop in God’s love.