Hebrews: a study of the letter to the Hebrews

Preface:

The Book of The Hebrews has been, for me, a great instructional guide through Old Testament foreshadowing of Christ as Prince of Peace, and High Priest … One in an order that is as ancient as the legendary Melchizedek, King of Salem and benefactor of Abraham.

But [Hebrews 1:1] says it all:

“Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.”

What is being explored in this series of lessons is nothing less than the person of Jesus Christ as pre-eminent, prevenient and prescribed for the good of the Hebrew nation and for all peoples. If this was not written by St. Paul, then it was written by a disciple or a student. This knowledge of history and of Jewish prophecy is exquisite, and can only be attributed to one who has both an intimate knowledge of Judaism and a scholarly, if not rabbinical, education.

“Scholars have speculated that those to whom the book was written were a breakaway group such as a house church that had separated from the main church. Another theory holds that the recipients were former Jewish priests who had converted to Christianity, and that they were considering a return to Judaism to avoid persecution from fellow Jews … Regarding when the book was written, it is clear that the fall of Jerusalem (70 AD) had not yet occurred ... Most likely Hebrews was written during the persecution under Nero, perhaps just before the destruction of the Temple.” (HCSB Study Bible © 2010 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN)

Thanks:

To our God, Good Father, and lover of my soul I give thanks because despite my shortcomings He has not cut me off from Himself. For that I am grateful beyond words. To Jesus who healed me, and to the Holy Spirit who sustains me, I marvel at the vocabulary and the strength I have been given for it is not my own.

To Rebecca, my wife, you have allowed me the freedom and privacy to do these things even when these activities have taken away from our time. You are my Spirit-guide and I am truly thankful for your unselfish heart.

To my brother Kevin, and all those who have challenged me, and caused me to go deeper; I thank you for the challenge, the prayer and the support, in these wilderness times.

 Sean Lawrence December 2018

Note: all Scripture is taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible unless otherwise indicated.

Book of the Hebrews

[Hebrews 1:1-4] Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. So He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He inherited is superior to theirs.

The Book of Hebrews is, without a doubt, one of the most significant epistles in the entire Bible. Why you ask? Because, it provides a concise overview, and answer to all, of what Scripture ever pointed to: Jesus as Messiah, Lord and Savior.

The prophets are acknowledged, but it is clear that in these last days it is Jesus upon whom we must rely and find our solid ground. He is …

 Heir of all things

 The exact expression of God’s nature

 Sustainer of all things

 God’s powerful Word

 At God’s right hand

 Higher than the angels

In these last days when the rapture is nearer, and the times are a signal that evil is seeping out into our spiritual groundwater like never before, we need a Savior who is all of this and even more! Our God is bigger than our biggest problem!

[Hebrews 1:5-9] For to which of the angels did He ever say, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father, or again, I will be His Father, and He will be My Son? When He again brings His firstborn into the world, He says, And all God’s angels must worship Him. And about the angels He says:

He makes His angels winds, and His servants a fiery flame, but to the Son: Your throne, God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; this is why God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy rather than Your companions.

Jesus the Christ is uniquely selected and qualified as anointed to be the Son of the Most High God. What other but Jesus can truly be elect?

The only One counted from the beginning of time is Jesus, who is Creator and God incarnate. In that way He was certain from the beginning, God from God, begotten and not made. There is no other elect!

God made His angels winds, and His servants fiery flames, but He clothed His Son in flesh and sent Him among us … knowing that if we knew Him we would have known God Himself.

There is no greater statement of love and adoration than to emulate the one you love. Our proverbial tradition says that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery; and while we know that God is not One to fall prey to baser instincts, we should be honored that God so loved us that He literally gave us His Son.

And what is it that we have done to Him … the anointed One of God?

(see Psalm 45:6-7)

[Hebrews 1:10-14] And: In the beginning, Lord, You established the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain.

They will all wear out like clothing; You will roll them up like a cloak, and they will be changed like a robe.

But You are the same, and Your years will never end.

Now to which of the angels has He ever said: Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool?

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?

Now, we can rest assured, and have a certain peace, knowing that God has made His enemies and our enemies His footstool. He has subjected all things to Jesus Who reigns now and forever victorious over sin and death. All of the things that have mattered, and will matter to us, will wither, dry up, and be blown away; yet, Jesus will remain fresh and vibrant to us …

He is the same and His years will never end. James tells us that there is no shadow of turning for the One who is generous beyond measure.

All of the heavens and the earth, which is the work of His right hand, will serve us, “those who are going to inherit salvation.”

We are the point and purpose of all that God has wrought.

Praise Him!

(see Psalm 110:1)

[Hebrews 2:1-4] We must, therefore, pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away. For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to His will.

Not only must we pay attention to what we have heard and seen, but we must dig ever deeper into our faith, and into the truth of our Scripture. So that we make no mistake, God has made His will clear enough through:

 Signs and wonders

 Various miracles

 Distributions of Gifts

 Presence of the Holy Spirit

Now we are called to be archeologists and anthropologists; to dig through carefully and unearth what is embedded there in Scripture like a rare fossil ready to be excavated, assembled, and put on display for all to marvel at!

It is easy to drift if we do not put on our armor and remain aware that the enemy is very persistent and incredibly dedicated to his craft. His job is to coerce and to misdirect so that we willingly stray from the Way, Truth and Life which is Jesus Christ. Do not stray, and when you do, return, repent and accept the Father’s loving embrace. Do not hate yourself for that is of the Devil.

[Hebrews 2:5-9] For He has not subjected to angels the world to come that we are talking about. But one has somewhere testified: What is man that You remember him, or the son of man that You care for him?

You made him lower than the angels for a short time; You crowned him with glory and honor and subjected everything under his feet. For in subjecting everything to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him. But we do see Jesus made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace He might taste death for everyone crowned with glory and honor because of His suffering in death. (see Psalm 8:5-7)

All is subject to Him who is subject to no one but the Father! In that Jesus was, and is, fully man and fully God He fulfills the prophesy of being lower than the angels for a time and crowned with glory: all things subject to Him.

We see this extracted from the Psalms but also reiterated in [John 1:1-5] where it is made clear that Jesus is the One who was with God in the beginning and He is the author of all things … that nothing was created that was not created through Him and by Him.

Jesus in death went lower and in His resurrection went higher. We worship a God who has been lower, and more weighed down with cosmic burden, than we have been, and He has risen far higher. He has seen all things both low and high so that we should trust His every word and His singular purpose: to lead us to, and to glorify, the Father.

[Hebrews 2:10-13] For in bringing many sons to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God all things exist for Him and through Him should make the source of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying:

I will proclaim Your name to My brothers; I will sing hymns to You in the congregation. Again, I will trust in Him. And again, Here I am with the children God gave Me.

(see Psalm 22:22)

Jesus sings to His children just as God sang to His Son, and that song was by His breath, the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit was the breath breathed upon the Disciples by Jesus on the day He arose, and it was the breath that God breathed into Adam. It is the same breath that is the breath of life itself by which all things large and small grow and prosper and multiply as God once commanded.

Jesus is not ashamed because we have one Father. And because we have believed as have the saints before us we are made sacred and holy, sanctified by believing and by His blood.

He proclaims the names of all believers to the heavenly host and a hush falls after each name is loosed in glory!

We claim Jesus because we are not ashamed ...He claimed us first;

We proclaim the name of Jesus to our brothers and sisters;

We sing hymns to the person of our Savior Jesus openly where we gather.

[Hebrews 2:14-19] Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death that is, the Devil and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it is clear that He does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. Therefore, He had to be like His brothers in every way, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested.

We are the children who have flesh in common. Until God decided to come to us as Jesus we did not have that in common with Him because God is spiritual by His very nature. But by the incarnation, He put on our flesh that he might come to know us and know us more intimately by being one of us.

He didn’t reach out to angels but to the children who wandered, cast from the Garden, but still loved by them. I do not know about angels, how they are made or what they think, but I know that we have a special relationship that allows us to wander and return.

Jesus gives us a taste but not the full brunt of it. He is a good God ...

Propitiation: an atoning sacrifice.

[Hebrews 3:1-6] Therefore, holy brothers and companions in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession; He was faithful to the One who appointed Him, just as Moses was in all God’s household. For Jesus is considered worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder has more honor than the house. Now every house is built by someone, but the One who built everything is God. Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s household, as a testimony to what would be said in the future. But Christ was faithful as a Son over His household. And we are that household if we hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope.

Jesus is:

 The Apostle and High Priest of our confession

 Faithful to the One who appointed Him

 He is considered worthy of more glory than Moses (as the builder has more honor than the house)

 Houses are built by people; everything is created by God

 Moses was faithful as a servant

 Jesus was faithful as a Son over His household; we are that household.

Jesus is the One who pleases the Father, and the Father placed Him over the whole household of His creation.

[Hebrews 3:7-11] Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works for 40 years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation and said, “They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known My ways.”

So I swore in My anger,

“They will not enter My rest.”

What is the consequence of hardened hearts and outright rebellion? One will not enter God’s rest. Things haven’t changed from the time of Moses until Jesus Christ and to the present day.

The difference for us is grace and not the outcome of God’s unrestrained wrath on a disobedient people … those who could not maintain the tenants of the Law.

The upshot is to heed the actions. and outcome, of those who came before. In the broad scheme of things the results are the same: distance from God and no rest from toil and wandering.

(see Psalm 95 7-11)

Our trajectory must remain unwavering so that we cross the finish line … not the one we have set up or the one the Enemy has devised, but the finish line that takes us to glory when we cross it. Then we too can say,

“It is finished!”

[Hebrews 3:12-19] Watch out, brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start. As it is said: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it really all who came out of Egypt under Moses? And who was He provoked with for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And who did He swear to that they would not enter His rest, if not those who disobeyed? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

(see Psalm 95 7-11)

Our author continues to build on the understanding that ignorance and disobedience are not going to lead us to anything good in this life or the next. Sin is the factor that separates all of us from God to varying degrees. Only Jesus can stand in the void! Notice I said that sin always separates us from God … He cannot be in it’s presence … and that our separation from Him is to a greater or lesser degree based upon our personal behavior. We have choices every day to engage or disengage, to act or not to act, to do better or to do worse.

The levels of persistent hardening and disobedience are not accidental. They are the increase of sin and the decrease of Jesus at any given moment. Our spirituality is a very fluid experience. However, the outcome is not accidental. It is absolutely “cause and effect.” Be effective in all faithfulness: worship the Cause of all things which is Jesus the Christ.

Do not be restless; be at rest in Him who lives within us and is all around us.

[Hebrews 4:1-7] Therefore, while the promise to enter His rest remains, let us fear that none of you should miss it. For we also have received the good news just as they did; but the message they heard did not benefit them, since they were not united with those who heard it in faith (for we who have believed enter the rest), in keeping with what He has said:

So I swore in My anger, they will not enter My rest.

And yet His works have been finished since the foundation of the world, for somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this way:

And on the seventh day

God rested from all His works.

Again, in that passage He says, They will never enter My rest. Since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news did not enter because of disobedience, again, He specifies a certain day today speaking through David after such a long time, as previously stated: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.

(see Psalm 95:7-11)

God’s anger is finally satisfied in the gift of His Son on the cross. Just how does giving a gift of a Son satisfy one’s anger? It is obedience, and a personal commitment to do the next right thing, just because it’s right.

The vows we swear in anger are often vengeful and retaliatory. I suspect that God discovered eons ago what we now know to be true: fear will not motivate anyone for very long. This is also why we need to understand that when we say “the fear of the Lord” what we actually mean is a very healthy respect for the Lord who is consistent and predictable in His responses. (James 1:16-17)

To rest means to be at peace, not to be in fear and to be protected by a benevolent overseer. Rest is refuge and sanctuary. Generations since the “Garden” have missed this key distinction in their daily living.

Katapausis: Greek for rest

[Hebrews 4:8-14] For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.

For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart. No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.

It would appear that the author of Hebrews is making a case for rest as a method of getting at the reasons we may ultimately find ourselves in disobedience. Reclining in Christ ushers in true rest, and only in that place of peace are we open to the word of God. True refuge and sanctuary is in a place of steadfast belief. It is almost like saying that until we slow down we will never appreciate the smell of the most fragrant roses or the refreshment of a cool glass of water.

If we do not rest we are more easily distracted; and then we attempt to make up for being overly active by behaving in ways that are disobedient. A sad example is the use of alcohol or drugs to slow ourselves down long enough to catch our breath. But this attempt at recapturing our rest can easily wind up in a full-blown addiction which is a far worse consequence than simply taking time out to catch our breath. Find your Sabbath.

As we read, “No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.”

Book of the Hebrews

[Hebrews 4:14-16] Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast to the confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

Yes, let us hold fast to our confession: Jesus is Lord and God! Here the author makes it clear that Jesus is incarnate, that He “came down to us through the heavens” and literally stepped from the throne to the earth. It that way we honor His desire to come to us, to know us and to live with us for a time. Jesus did not come as better but as Shepherd. He did not come to deliver bitter herbs but the milk and honey of His “kingdom come.”

Our Jesus, our High Priest, has been where we are and has risen above it! This should give each one of us the reassurance to persevere and the confidence to remain steadfast, knowing that whatever we are attempting can be overcome; and whatever we are facing can be put “face-down!”

So, if Jesus was tested and overcame then so can we. His final test will not be what we are asked to endure, but for us it will test our resolve and it will stretch us. We may not be God, but we are made in His image, and we have the blessing of His only Son. That blessing is a blessing of protection. This way we are marked and we have both the cred and the inner strength to be victorious just like He was.

Jesus came that we might have life abundant! He came with a backstage pass, for sure … but it is not a free pass. It cost Him everything.

[Hebrews 5:1-10] For every high priest taken from men is appointed in service to God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he is also subject to weakness. Because of this, he must make a sin offering for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honor on himself; instead, a person is called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, the Messiah did not exalt Himself to become a high priest, but the One who said to Him, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father, also said in another passage, You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. During His earthly life, He offered prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. Though He was God’s Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. After He was perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, and He was declared by God a high priest in the order of Melchizedek. (see Genesis 14:18-20 & Psalm 2:7)

Aperson is called to this. An important distinction for those who wish to step up with no inclination as to why. It is never to be done lightly or without consultation in the Holy Spirit.

But what I find very comforting is verse 2 in which the author makes it clear that a man must be appointed from men and called to it because he will be asked to comfort those who stray drawing on his own well of weakness. Being firm but not condemning like Christ. Writing in the dust One must not feel better than other (self-exalting) or more of a man than Aaron was.

It is also a priest’s duty to offer sacrifices for the sins of oneself and for the people. Thus, it is apparent that this high priest must imitate Christ by remembering the sacrament of Communion as often as possible. In this way the Law ,and the transformation of it in Jesus Christ, is honored fully.

[Hebrews 5:11-14] We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature — for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.

We should be careful not to use this passage to as a way to chide those we view as being immature or ignorant. Most of our flock is mixed because there are those who are more stable, and a greater number who are less stable. I am speaking more so to a specific urban demographic, but I suppose it might apply to any community that was in some degree of flux or growth.

Growth and maturity is no accident. Adding a foot to your physical height may not be a choice you can make, but increasing stature in the spirit is undoubtedly the result of a choice to partake of a more nutritious diet. And ...

Those who can chew the meat, swallow and digest it, should be the ones to show the less mature how it is to be accomplished. This is Discipling 101, and can only be carried out if there is a desire on the part of the less mature to wean themselves off of the breast, so to speak. Growth in the spirit is a choice, as we have reiterated.. At some point an individual is required to take the necessary steps so that the race can begin; and in the same way there is a requirement to use ones spiritual dentures to chew word and get into the heart of it. The man or woman who remains on milk will not have the strength or the stamina to do what is required in the mission field. They will always be the ones tended to rather than those tending to ...

[Hebrews 6:1-6] Therefore, leaving the elementary message about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And we will do this if God permits.

For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit, tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away, because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt.

This is a somewhat confusing passage, but may not be as cruel as it first appears. In this, the author (Paul or a learned disciple), is reminding the “Hebrews” that if they are wavering in their faith they should fall back on the person of Jesus and Him alone. The familiar fallback, from what is being conveyed, is the temptation to literally fall back into ways of legalism, and not more deeply into ways of faithfulness.

The falling away is a natural return to the legalist practices of Judaism, or even pagan practices for the Gentile, which means that they are returning to ways that preceded Christ’s crucifixion. In this way I believe Paul is reminding them that as often as they have to retrace these steps they indeed recrucify Christ. It is the repetition of old patterns for “milk drinkers.”

I do not believe that these believers are losing their salvation, but losing their standing as faithful disciple-makers at a critical time for the faith. And, as it must have driven Paul to distraction, they were not relying wholly on Jesus Christ to the exclusion of all else. It is always Christ and Him crucified!

(see 1 Corinthians 2:2)

[Hebrews 6:7-12] For ground that has drunk the rain that has often fallen on it and that produces vegetation useful to those it is cultivated for receives a blessing from God. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and will be burned at the end.

Even though we are speaking this way, dear friends, in your case we are confident of the better things connected with salvation. For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name when you served the saints and you continue to serve them. Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope, so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.

Lest you and I forget, let me remind you, and you and me, that the fruit we bear will tell God everything He needs to know about the condition of our hearts and the nature of the soils within! Of course, one prays for vegetation, and the anticipation of an abundant harvest. However, should we need reminding, be aware that should we bear thistles the soil which produced it will be cursed, and even burned at the end. (see 2 Peter 3:10)

That is to say “the flesh.”

I do not believe this was meant for believers, but for those in their midst who might be holding out or attempting to serve more than one master and bearing evil fruit among them. Dark fruit tends to reproduce itself readily, so be aware.

God is just and will not forget our efforts … yet He will forget the sin of a righteous man!

Please do not become lazy even if the opportunity presents itself. Be a good example to your fellow countrymen and lead a good and decent life. Honor Christ.

[Hebrews 6:13-15] For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself:

I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you.

And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise.

(see Genesis 22:17)

God swears by Himself because there is none greater. Now we have absolute perspective ... a static point on the horizon.

Concerning Abraham’s relationship with God there really was no precedent, except possibly that with Adam. And, unfortunately, the “Adamic Precedent” was a creative endeavor, by its very definition, and not a relational experiment. The first man may not have been Abraham, but I can imagine that Abraham felt like an Adam. Abraham was led at a time when God had not yet resumed a relational covenant with man.

The operative difference in the case of Abraham, however, is obedience. This is also what differentiates the immature from the mature believer. And, while this is a Judaic history lesson for those requiring a brush up, it was a clear command to honor one’s call in the way Abraham did.

Abraham did what he was asked to do;

Abraham took a step into the unknown on faith;

Abraham (presumably) suffered the ridicule of his family and countrymen;

Abraham grew through obedience even though he was, at times, disobedient.

Abraham was blessed and obtained God’s promise: This is spiritual maturity.

[Hebrews 6:16-20] For men swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute. Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

Men swear by something greater because they are not the greatest (nor are they the least). God swears by Himself because there is no one greater … not one!

The two unchangeable things are God’s unchanging nature and His unwavering perfection. Yet, we are told that in Him we need not swear an oath, but simply let our yes be yes and our no be no. This is enough for the believer, I suppose; yet for the unbeliever there are never enough vows taken or oaths sworn to justify one’s disobedience. And yet ...

Our takeaway from the second half of the passage, as we consider a supreme and unchanging God, is the person of the incarnate Christ:

He is a refuge of strong encouragement.

In Him we may size the hope set before us.

This hope is an anchor for our lives, safe and secure.

He has pierced the inner sanctuary on our behalf.

He is a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek; He is the highest.

[Hebrews 7:1-3]

For this Melchizedek

King of Salem, priest of the Most High God,

who met Abraham and blessed him

as he returned from defeating the kings,

and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything;

first, his name means king of righteousness,

then also, king of Salem, meaning king of peace; without father, mother, or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life,

but resembling the Son of God remains a priest forever.

Melchizedek, Abraham, and Christ compared. Consider Melchizedek as the precursor, the formless image of Christ appearing incarnate through the walls of history and prophecy.

Melchizedek is King of Salem Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of God.

Melchizedek met Abraham Jesus said, “before Abraham was, I AM!”

Abraham defeated Kings Jesus Christ defeated death and hell!

Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth Jesus gave it all for all at Golgotha.

Melchizedek means king of righteousness and then king of peace (Salem) Jesus’ name means “God Saves,” then also Prince of Peace, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Melchizedek without father, mother or genealogy—Jesus, Son of the Father, born of the Holy Spirit, and with a genealogy spanning from before the first Adam until Himself (all of creation).

Melchizedek had neither beginning nor ending of days but resembled the Son of God Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega and is the Son of God.

[Hebrews 7:4-10] Now consider how great this man was — even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the plunder to him! The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people — that is, from their brothers — though they have also descended from Abraham. But one without this lineage collected tenths from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. Without a doubt, the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case, men who will die receive tenths, but in the other case, Scripture testifies that he lives. And in a sense Levi himself, who receives tenths, has paid tenths through Abraham, for he was still within his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

While there is much to be said, and repeated, the authority of any priesthood can readily be boiled down to the lineage of the temporal and the eternal. It is clear that they have originated at different times and from different individuals for unique purposes; and the author goes to great lengths to point out their differences. So, it is no surprise that in an effort to lift up Jesus as Messiah the author also distinguishes the mysterious Melchizedek as superior with obvious parallels to Christ as King of Righteousness and King (Prince) of Peace. The temporal priesthood, being grounded in Aaron, is never lifted up in this way. It remains literally grounded in an earthly time, place and practice.

It is to be noted that Melchizedek is only mentioned twice in Scripture, but that this rarity is tied directly to Christ as though to underscore His unique supremacy. Remember that the Levitical priesthood was disbanded when the Temple fell; the priesthood of Jesus Christ was not.

[Hebrews 7:11-17] If then, perfection came through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there for another priest to appear, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in the order of Aaron? For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must be a change of law as well. For the One these things are spoken about belonged to a different tribe. No one from it has served at the altar. Now it is evident that our Lord came from Judah, and Moses said nothing about that tribe concerning priests. And this becomes clearer if another priest like Melchizedek appears, who did not become a priest based on a legal command concerning physical descent but based on the power of an indestructible life. For it has been testified:

You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. (see Psalm 110:4)

Jesus breaks all of the laws of convention. By that I mean He breaks down, reforms, and transforms them under grace. Nothing under Aaron or Moses ,or any prophet or author, can break out of or break down the confines of the law unless … that individual can also forgive sin and redeem lives. Only Jesus can do that!

He did not become a priest based on legal commands; He did not become a priest based on physical decent; He became a priest based on the Spirit, the power of an indestructible life.

[Psalm 110:3] says:

In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn

The dew of Your youth belongs to You. (So it is with the believer).

[Hebrews 7:18-22] So the previous command is annulled because it was weak and unprofitable (for the law perfected nothing), but a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

None of this happened without an oath. For others became priests without an oath, but He became a priest with an oath made by the One who said to Him: The Lord has sworn, and He will not change His mind, You are a priest forever.

So Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant. (see Psalm 110:4)

All previous commands are annulled in and by Jesus Christ,. But more than that, they are not disavowed or put away; they are transformed under grace. In this way both covenants stand but one is transformed and becomes another perfected.

How can this happen? God always intended for His Son to be the propitiation for the misdeeds of all men. God saw it, and He prepared for it; He prepared even though it appeared that, for a time, men had the upper hand in their atrocious behavior toward one another and toward God. (Yet God dispersed them)

We drew near to God in the Garden; but since then the only remedy for closeness with God (with the exception of Moses who knew His face) was Jesus the Anointed One. In Christ the annulment was rectified and all is made right with man’s union with God the Father. No priest, no rabbi, no teacher can do what Jesus did and will do! Jesus, as it says in the Scripture, became the guarantee of a better covenant. No man, no predecessor, can wash clean the dirt on the hands of men. Only Jesus washes the hands clean, but He also wipes clean the man and his soul.

[Hebrews 7:23-28] Now many have become Levitical priests, since they are prevented by death from remaining in office. But because He remains forever, He holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore, He is always able to save those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.

For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do — first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all when He offered Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promise of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son, who has been perfected forever.

Death may prevent men from remaining in a Levitical office forever, but no such thing as death prevents our Lord Jesus from remaining in the office of High Priest forever! No man, not even Melchizedek could be high enough to live forever and forgive at an appropriate time. For Melchizedek as a forerunner, was still flesh and blood with a heart for God; He was not God.

This is the evidence of a Messiah who is above Kings and above angels:

Christ remains forever;

Christ is always able to intercede;

Christ is holy, innocent, undefiled;

Christ needs no sacrifices;

Christ is the Son of God;

Christ has been perfected forever!

[Hebrews 8:1-6] Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore it was necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if He were on earth, He wouldn’t be a priest, since there are those offering the gifts prescribed by the law. These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For God said, Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain. But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree He is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been legally enacted on better promises. (see Exodus 25:40) )

Jesus is God! No justification or lineage required as only He justifies, sanctifies and is glorified in and of Himself!

Yet He faithfully plows through the endless fields of time and place to fulfill all Scripture that prophesied Him and honors those whom He inspired … He is the pattern and all were made according to Him, by Him, and for Him says the Disciple Whom Jesus Loved: see the Book of John chapter 1.

This Tabernacle was torn down and rebuilt in 3 days. It is perfect because it is built upon a foundation of grace.

[Hebrews 8:7-10] For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one. But finding fault with His people, He says: Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by their hands to lead them out of the land of Egypt.

I disregarded them, says the Lord, because they did not continue in My covenant.

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.

(see Jeremiah 31:31-34)

The only thing about the first covenant that was not faultless was man himself. God was never at fault! Never once!

It is by grace that there is a second covenant! Only by the love of God in Jesus Christ is there even an occasion for a second chance.

Have you ever looked at the Bible as a love letter rather than a heavy volume of restrictions and judgment? If not you should read the Word with that new concept in mind.

God has determined in His persistence to pursue His people and to do so He will make His Law and His purpose literally a part of them.

YHWH is not content to let His people drift and detour until they randomly find their way back to Him. He knows that left to their (our) own devices we will worship animals, reenact old behaviors and yield to our most base temptations.

Thank you Lord for caring enough to offer a love letter with boundaries and with grace!

[Hebrews 8:11-13] And each person will not teach his fellow citizen, and each his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins.

By saying, a new covenant, He has declared that the first is old. And what is old and aging is about to disappear.

(see Jeremiah 31:31-34)

How will we know Him? He will be emblazoned upon our very hearts, minds and souls. Our God leaves nothing to chance … nothing!

Why does He say that each person will not teach his fellow citizen? Because they will know Him from the inside out and because He, in His infinite mercy, is placing that spiritual discernment within reach of all believing men and women. In this to prove that His Spirit is not one of vengeance or wrath we see that He makes His methods clear:

He will be merciful to their (our) wrongdoing

He will never again remember their (our) sins

He is engaging in a new covenant whereby, as the author of Hebrews asserts, that the first is old and what is old and aging is about to disappear. How is this accomplished? Only through the person of Jesus Christ in Whom the first is last, the last is first, and the Law is transformed.

[Hebrews 9:1-5] Now the first covenant also had regulations for ministry and an earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was set up, and in the first room, which is called the holy place, were the lampstand, the table, and the presentation loaves. Behind the second curtain, the tabernacle was called the most holy place. It contained the gold altar of incense and the ark of the covenant, covered with gold on all sides, in which there was a gold jar containing the manna, Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. The cherubim of glory were above it overshadowing the mercy seat. It is not possible to speak about these things in detail right now.

To me the most exciting part of this passage is the confirmation of what is contained in the Ark of the Covenant! There is a jar of manna from the Exodus, Aaron’s staff which has budded, and the second set of tablets containing the 10 Commandments.

It is believed , at least by the Coptic church, that the Ark today rests in Axum, Ethiopia. While this has not been proven, it has not been disproven either. It has been lost from sight for over 3000 years.

Aaron’s rod seems to be of unique interest because it had special powers to both overcome magicians and to speak for God when Moses could not. The budding indicated the tribe of Levi would be chosen as priests over the other 11 tribes because it sprouted overnight and bore ripe almonds. I had also consumed the rods of Pharaoh’s priests which has all turned into snakes. In this way Aaron’s rod had the power to demonstrate supremacy.

The book of Hebrews reminds the Jews that their tradition points to a Messiah that has already arrived: Jesus of Nazareth!

[Hebrews 9:6-10] With these things set up this way, the priests enter the first room repeatedly, performing their ministry. But the high priest alone enters the second room, and he does that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was making it clear that the way into the most holy place had not yet been disclosed while the first tabernacle was still standing. This is a symbol for the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper’s conscience. They are physical regulations and only deal with food, drink, and various washings imposed until the time of restoration.

Sacrificial law and grace are not oppositional but they also cannot coexist. In that Jesus Christ ushered in the age of grace on the cross, there is no turning back the hands of time: the transformation has begun and soon all things will be made new!

The veil has been rent and the Tabernacle has been destroyed. Only Jesus Christ as high priest is required for intercession (in the order of Melchizedek), but not in the flesh nor requiring any percentage of the spoils of war.

There is no longer a restriction regarding when one may approach the Holy of Holies. We should seek God in His Son daily … or hourly … if that is what it takes for us to remain steadfast. Our sin debt is erased and the holy places are exposed to all believers.

No sacrifice will perfect the worshipper’s conscience; the perfection of the conscience precedes the communion of the Last Supper. The worshipper can only offer his spiritual nature upon the altar of perfect sacrifice since the Lamb has been slaughtered, and this new age has been set on its course.

[Hebrews 9:11-14] But the Messiah has appeared, high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), He entered the most holy place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our2 consciences from dead works to serve the living God?

This is how Jesus appears:

As the High Priest of Good Things

As the Greater and More Perfect Tabernacle

As a Tabernacle not made of hands

Not by the blood of goats and calves

By His own blood

Through the Eternal Spirit

Without blemish

To cleanse our consciences from dead works

To have us serve the Living God.

All Praises, Honor and Glory to Our King!

[Hebrews 9:15-22] Therefore, He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. Where a will exists, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will is valid only when people die, since it is never in force while the one who made it is living. That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood. For when every command had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded for you. In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood. According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

(see Exodus 24:8)

He, Jesus Christ, is the “Mediator” of the new covenant. What does that really mean in layman’s terms? A mediator is one who settles disputes and brings previously disagreeing parties together on common ground. The mediator does this to offer a [new] covenant that binds the parties in a new way for the greater good.

In this way Jesus Christ was (and is) the mediator between God and man because He alone brought them together in Himself, and by Himself, on the cross. He satisfied God’s wrath through His own shed the blood required one time … once and for all. No more animals are to be slaughtered without their consent: Jesus went willing the sacrificial altar and did not open His mouth to complain.

Every law was fulfilled in Jesus; no law has been left unfulfilled except that He return for His church at the appropriate time. Maranatha! Amen!

[Hebrews 9:23-26] Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these. For the Messiah did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that He might now appear in the presence of God for us. He did not do this to offer Himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another. Otherwise, He would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

There is forgiveness only because of the shed blood of the Lamb, the Christ! In the old days it was necessary to appease God with animal sacrifice because that was the only path to atonement and absolution. Now without the ritual, the priesthood and the river of blood, we have access to the One who is pure, and who has purified both the things below, within and above the heavenly places.

The copy of what is to be, i.e. the Temple to be set upon the new heaven and the new earth, is made holy and is purified by the blood of Christ shed for the forgiveness of the sins of all people. Christ is now that Temple which was rebuilt in 3 days and which shall stand forever. He is the Mediator and Intercessor for all time. There is no other high priest, and the hands of time cannot be turned back.

Many animals were sacrificed, much incense burned, many offerings consumed, many persons stoned, and many scapegoats sent; yet that is now behind us as Jesus has offered Himself one time for all and for all time. We may take communion, burn incense and recite prayers, but that which is most important has been accomplished on our behalf. This is “the end of the ages” ...

[Hebrews 9:27-28] And just as it is appointed for people to die once — and after this, judgment so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him

Yet, there are so very few waiting … so very few. And to know we only have one shot at this. We are appointed to die once, but to live once; and we are required to make a critical choice for today and for eternity between the living and the dying.

Jesus’ second appearance will be to reclaim us; our second appearance will be in heaven. Once and done, twice not thrice!

Our Lord is not to bring sin nor to condemn. He is to bring salvation: the gift we received but did not take out of the box. We always save our best stuff for that “special occasion.” I get that! Try it on for size now just to get a feel for it.

I ask you this: did you really and truly take your gift out of the box and use it to the full? Have you lived a life full of grace and have you demonstrated it with joy and thanksgiving? I know that this will be even sweeter in heaven when all things will shine brightly … so wouldn’t it be sweet to put that gift on and shine a little brighter this side of glory?

Jesus Christ …

 Died once and for all (for all)

 Bore the sins of many (of all)

 Will appear a second time (not to bear sin)

 Brings salvation (for those who wait).

[Hebrews 10:1-4] Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the actual form of those realities, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year. Otherwise, wouldn’t they have stopped being offered, since the worshipers, once purified, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Only a shadow of good things to come. If the law is a shadow then it makes sense that Christ is the Ever-present Light which transforms even the shadows. Only in Him do shadows produce light!

The shadows of the law that remain are reminders of a time past prior to the arrival of the Messiah and His gift of never-ending grace. But even shadows have their place, and shadows do not mean no light, but less light. Shadows like valleys create the contrast which emphasizes the light (or in the analogy, the peaks). Shadows in this passage indicate a portent or a dim image of a greater and more brilliant reality.

So, the point we must take from this is: by focusing on Old Testament law, and neglecting to embrace the gift of Christ on the cross, we take our eyes from grace and focus exclusively on sin and the “long arm of the law.” The law cannot ever perfect us like Jesus can; it only serves to remind us of our shortcomings, not our victorious nature.

I suggest that we focus intently on that which the law convicts us of, but not exclusively. Of greater importance is the One who overturns that conviction in favor of grace. In such a way as this we will find true justice; we will discover that while we are indeed sinners, we are not comprised of it alone because of God’s blood sacrifice of Jesus the Christ, His only Son!

[Hebrews 10:5-7] Therefore, as He was coming into the world, He said: You did not want sacrifice and offering, but You prepared a body for Me.

You did not delight in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings. Then I said, “See — it is written about Me in the volume of the scroll —

I have come to do Your will, God! ”

(see Psalm 40:6-8)

Jesus has come to do God’s will … that’s it!

It was written about Him

In the volume of the scroll

He has come to do His Father’s will:

 To be the final sacrifice

 To save the sinner

 To vanquish the Enemy

 To be our only hope

 To be our One true delight

 To return for His bride

 To do God’s will ...

[Hebrews 10:8-14] After He says above, You did not want or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings (which are offered according to the law), He then says, See, I have come to do Your will. He takes away the first to establish the second. By this will of God, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.

Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins. But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. He is now waiting until His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified.

(see Psalm 40:6-8)

Christ takes away the first to establish the second.

What is the first? It is the law. Which is not abolished but it cannot save.

What is the second? The kingdom of God, predicated on grace, presided over by the Messiah … that which is within us and all around us. Being an unbeliever does not change this reality, it changes the eternity of the unbeliever!

We know the law cannot save because the author of Hebrews tells us that the ritual sacrifice was accomplished over and over and over again, without a single soul finding grace. But Jesus, transformed the law, abolished sin from the heart of the believer, offered Himself as the prefect sacrifice, and then sat down at the right hand of God.

Only the One who sits at the right hand of God can be God’s right hand!

[Hebrews 10:15-18] The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after He says: This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord:

I will put My laws on their hearts and write them on their minds, He adds:

I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts.

Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

(see Jeremiah 31:33-34)

Where sin is forgiven once and for all and forgotten never to be remembered there remains no reason for sacrifice or the ritualistic shedding of blood!

By the work of the Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Paraclete, Counselor, Teacher and Guide … the things are being accomplished that put the laws on our hearts and they will be written on our minds.

This time has come: that which was prophesied is being realized in our time, and in a manner that glorifies the Son even in the most chaotic of places and in the most turbulent of times. God’s will cannot be denied!

[Psalm 103:11-12] For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

[Hebrews 10:19-25] Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way He has opened for us through the curtain (that is, His flesh), and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Flesh, His flesh, is the curtain that has been torn, rent, and opened up to us so that we might enter into the Holy or Holies; we can do this without a high priest and be found blameless. In this way we are covered by the blood which pleases God, and He does not burn us up like a sin offering. We are, as follows:

 Drawn near [to Him] with a true heart

 Hearts sprinkled clean, cleansed from an evil conscience

 Bodies washed in pure water

 Hopeful without wavering

 Lovers of good works

 Faithful to worship ...

 And, aware that “the day is drawing near.”

[Hebrews 10:26-31] For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries. If anyone disregards Moses’ law, he dies without mercy, based on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know the One who has said, Vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay, and again, The Lord will judge His people. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

(see Deuteronomy 32:36)

Essentially, we are at a reset point in our faith; and if we sin again, deliberately and flagrantly, then there are consequences that we must be aware of. The Christian walk is not a free pass, nor is it permission to go out from confession and sin until it becomes too much to bear (and the cycle repeats itself).

I do not believe this refers to things like smoking, having a beer with the game, frequent failures of the flesh, or some of our more human frailties … this refers to behaving in a way that dishonors God and openly mocks Him. This harks back to the nation of Israel, and its periodic decent into pagan worship, comingling with condemned peoples and so forth. And if you might feel tempted to call out one another’s sins in a fit of selfrighteous indignation, I warn you (as did God) that only our Lord has the right or capacity to seek vengeance, repayment and judgment!

Note to flock: true believers in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior need not be afraid. He alone accepted our God’s terrifying wrath in our place ...

[Hebrews 10:32-36] Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way. For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession. So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.

So what happens after you and I have been at this thing we call Christianity for awhile? Do we lose our confidence and endurance over time as life has crept in and distracted us, draining us, taking its toll on our patience and our empathy? It happens to me and I am pretty sure that you and I both fall into the same kind of trap. We are, after all, undeniably human and slaves to the flesh!

As believers we are exposed to being treated as outcasts, even by other Christian sects. It happens even today! In our exuberance as new believers we almost invited being called out and condemned; but as we have grown we are more careful and the persecution is more subtle.

However, we have not had it so bad that our goods have been confiscated or we are imprisoned for our beliefs (though many of us we imprisoned for a time for our unlawful acts). Most of us have brought prosecution, not persecution, upon ourselves. For this we are paying our debts. We will need to account for our shortcoming and prepare for what is to come.

What is to come will require endurance, which is founded upon the confidence that our Lord is indeed God and Savior in times like these. The end of days is upon us, and the signs are clear. To remain intact as people, and as a people, will be our community’s primary goal. And when we are raptured, or are raised otherwise, we will receive what was promised. We will receive our reward ...

[Hebrews 10:37-39] For yet in a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.

But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him.

But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.

(see Isaiah 26:20 and Habakkuk 2:3-4)

We go forward believing, knowing, that Jesus’ return is eminent; and that we simply need to hold on a little while longer.

Because we know His promises are true, we are living faithfully until He comes for us. This is the evidence of what cannot be seen: our faith which sustains us.

We do not draw back, and yet we do not advance without a signal from the Holy Spirit. How will we know when to advance? It will become clear in a sign and a conviction of hearts. Not just one heart, but many hearts will be convicted simultaneously within the community of believers.

In doing so we are not destroyed, but protected by the very name of Jesus Christ. In Him we have our faith, and have obtained life … eternal life.

“In a very little while the Coming One will come and not delay.”

Maranatha! Amen!

[Hebrews 11:1-6] Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For our ancestors won God’s approval by it.

By faith we understand that the universe was created by God’s command, so that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible.

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.

By faith Enoch was taken away so he did not experience death, and he was not to be found because God took him away. For prior to his removal he was approved, since he had pleased God. Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him. (see Genesis 5:21-24)

Faith is:

The reality of what is hoped for

The proof of what is not seen

And God approves …

But what is even more appealing to God, and what our spiritual ancestors could not accomplish, is the loving relationship between father and son when enmity is buried and love abounds ... only in Christ was this made manifest!

Since God cannot be pleased by works or deeds how can we find His favor? By being faithful sons and daughters, that’s how!

It is by faith that we seek and find God’s approval; and this is sealed by the Holy Spirit which is Christ with us until He returns for His bride, the church.

[Hebrews 11:7-11] By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the One who had promised was faithful. Therefore from one man — in fact, from one as good as dead came offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as innumerable as the grains of sand by the seashore.

[Hebrews 11:13-19] These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. But they now desire a better place — a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and he was offering his unique son, the one it had been said about, Your seed will be traced through Isaac. He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead, and as an illustration, he received him back.

(see Genesis 21:12)

Noah, Abraham, Enoch, Isaac, Jacob … even Sarah!

It is remarkable that we are so focused on ourselves that we wonder, no we obsess over, whether we are worthy to be called children of God; yet, Hebrews offers a peculiar angle on this curiosity:

God is not ashamed to be called our God. I say that this makes clear that even as unworthy as we may be our God is willing to preside over and to redeem people such as ourselves.

Forget about whether we are worthy to come into His presence; how about God not being ashamed to claim us!

That is absolutely incredible. Think about it: would you be willing to claim the worst of the worst, the least of the least?

Out God claims us by name! Halleluiah! Great day in the mornin’!

[Hebrews 11:-20-26] By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his bones. By faith, after Moses was born, he was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin. For he considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward. (see Genesis 47:31)

By faith …

It is only by faith that the greater things happen. The author makes it clear that by their faith the listed individuals and events came to pass in a way that distinctly sets them apart and glorifies God in the process. We are told that faithfulness, by definition, is the evidence of things unseen. In other words, it is proof! ( Hebrews 11:1)

Faithfulness suggests that the faithful person genuinely believes God’s promise, and is willing to whatever is required of them to remain covenant-bound, honoring the faith of the ancestors.

Additionally, a belief in the coming Messiah surpassed any temptation to assume wealth or position by forfeiting the Hebrew lineage. So, as important as was faith, so was genealogy in the preservation of the bloodline of Christ (in whom the Messiah would be made manifest).

Jacob “worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff” remained devout to the end, believing he could rest with his fathers as he gave final blessing “from his bed” as it is sometimes translated. The staff, I believe, denotes patriarchal authority.

[Hebrews 11:27-31] By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees Him who is invisible. By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites. By faith they crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being encircled by the Israelites for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute received the spies in peace and didn’t perish with those who disobeyed.

It is clear that faith, and faith alone, is what will ultimately guide, direct and save us. With us, as with Moses, his faith:

 Protected him from harm

 Provided him identity as an Israelite

 Gave him the strength to suffer with his people

 Gave him direct contact with God

 Placed His focus on spiritual rather than temporary rewards

 Calmed him when Pharaoh was angry

 Allowed him to institute the sacred rite of Passover

 Protected his people from the Angel of Death

 Allowed him to lead his people through the parted Red Sea

 Saved his people from God’s wrath

 Gave us the Torah and his people the land of Canaan

[Hebrews 11:32-40] And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead they were raised to life again. Some men were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection, and others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.

So by faith we also, like the heroes and prophets of old, can:

 Conquer kingdoms

 Administer justice

 Obtain promises

 Shut the mouths of lions

 Quench raging fires

 Escape the sword

 Become mighty in battle

 Cause foreign armies to flee

[Hebrews 12:1-2] Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.

Keeping in mind the balance of the previous passage, it is clear that having the rewards and strengths of Jesus Christ will probably not mean power, wealth or unusual gain for most of us; rather most will do less well by the world’s standards, yet will succeed in the Spirit, making it apparent that the world itself is not worthy of the believer!

We are indeed raised from the dead, spiritually speaking, though by God’s grace the majority of us will never be overtly ostracized by mockings and scourgings in the traditional sense. Yet, I venture to say that we do wander in wilderness places, and often feel relegated to living in holes in the ground, especially when things do not go our way or the way of the faith (or even the church). This brand of persecution is the Devil’s own peculiar method of wearing us down and causing our spirits to be fatigued even before our bodies are depleted of physical strength. We might call it emptiness (though it is even less than that) and it can lead even the strongest believer into darker places.

Thankfully, the passage for this lesson reminds us that there is a huge cloud of witnesses (the saints that have passed) who surround us and strengthen us. In this way we can lay aside the heaviest sin burden, and we can run “fleet of foot” with endurance in the race that lies before us. We do this by keeping our eyes focused on Jesus, the prize and source of our strength: the One who endured a cross for us that He might sit at God’s right hand having prepared a place for us.

[Hebrews 12:3-6] For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart. In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or faint when you are reproved by Him, for the Lord disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He receives.

(see Proverbs 3:11-12 using NIV to open up the language in love)

We have not resisted to the point of shedding blood in resisting sin … far from it! And most of us have not endured hostility from sinners; truth be known, we have probably not been that easy to tell apart from the everyday sinner since we are one of them.

Paul said that he was “chief among sinners,” (1 Timothy 1:15) so we should not feel exempt. Though that does not give us free reign to sin like there is no tomorrow. Indeed, we should find ourselves convicted and might even find ourselves willing to hold at bay our sinning for even one more hour or one more day.

And, so if there are consequences to our sinning, then:

1.) Jesus removes sin and forgives

2.) We are reproved by the Father as a loving act

3.) In Christ our struggle with sin is not in vain …

We must understand that the use of the word “punishment” is otherwise translated as loving discipline, which is how a healthy Father cares for His own.

[Hebrews 12:7-13] Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline which all receive then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had natural fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed instead.

And, this Scripture elaborates on the Proverbs passage in a way that really requires no further explanation.

A good Father will discipline, or guide a child, onto the right path … not for the good of the Father, but for the well-being of the child.

God the Father disciplined His own Son and pressed Him forward onto the right path, even to the cross, not for the Father’s good, but for the good of all His heirs: the children of Light who believe on Him.

Short term discipline, and often pain for the long term ,benefit those held most precious. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus asked that the “cup of God’s wrath,” might be taken from Him, but relented when it became clear that the cross was the only way to salvation.

We are told that the discipline is temporary so that we might be made holy or “share in His holiness.” Endurance is important because it yields fruit of the Spirit, peace and righteousness … the evidence of things unseen: Christs’ presence.

[Hebrews 12:14-17] Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness — without it no one will see the Lord. Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many. And make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for one meal. For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance, though he sought it with tears.

Things to remember from yesterday, for today and until tomorrow:

Pursue peace with everyone.

Pursue holiness … the sacred.

Make sure no one falls short of God’s grace; warn them.

Allow no root of bitterness to spring up.

Bitterness causes trouble and defiles us, defiles us all. Respect the Lord; be faithful.

Do not give up your life for a bowl of soup.

Do not be immoral or irreverent.

Blasphemy means no blessing, no repentance, no hope.

Tears cannot wash away unfaithfulness.

[Romans 12:18-19] says, “If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead leave room for His wrath. For it is written: ‘Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay.’ says the Lord.” (see Deuteronomy 32:35)

[Hebrews 12:18-24] For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. (Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, for they could not bear what was commanded: And if even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned! The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am terrified and trembling.) Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the Judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, to Jesus (mediator of a new covenant), and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel. (see Exodus 19:12 & Deuteronomy 9:19)

Not just the individual who is saved, but the church itself, is moving steadily toward Jerusalem. It is moving toward the root, the place to which it was grafted into for most believers. For the Messianic Jewish believer, however, this is a fulfilment of all things right and holy. For [they] have been raised a Jew and have come to believe in the true Christ, Jesus … Emanuel.

This is a completeness, a fullness, which I believe a Gentile cannot fully appreciate until glory. It does not mean better or worse, for Jew or Gentile, but that it is a unique fulfillment which God had always yearned for.

We come to a place in Spirit and in truth which cannot be touched, heard or seen. We have come to, and beyond, the Law of Moses since we have been saved by the grace of Jesus on the cross. This is better than the blood of a thousand unblemished lambs, and even better than the spilt blood of Abel.

To underpin His nature: Our God is awesome, so much so that He presents Himself as a blazing fire, even darkness, gloom, and storm, to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. He cannot be touched but He can be experienced ...

[Hebrews 12:25-29] Make sure that you do not reject the One who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected Him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven. His voice shook the earth at that time, but now He has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven. This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shaken that is, created things so that what is not shaken might remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold on to grace. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (see Haggai 2:6)

For our God is a consuming fire!

He is the darkness, He is the light, He is the gloom, and even the trumpet blast!

In the preceding passage We learned that God can be seen and experienced, but not touched. However, what He can do through His creation can be felt and understood in physical terms. These signs we should heed, take seriously. They are also the “writing on the walls” by the prophets: The end is near.

To illustrate God’s capacity and sovereignty Haggai prophesies that He will “Shake not only the earth but also heaven.” All in all is Yahweh’s domain.

The author of Hebrews is clear on one point in particular: that what is shaken (the creation itself) is temporary, while that which cannot be shaken (the eternal and the Spiritual) is forever. God being God can do both/and for the purpose of His own glorification, and the for the love of His children. He is God!

As believers we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, cannot be taken from us, and can only be experienced (held onto) by and through grace. By grace we are able to serve God with His approval and with the respect He deserves.

[Hebrews 13:1-6] Let brotherly love continue. Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily. Marriage must be respected by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge immoral people and adulterers. Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you. Therefore, we may boldly say:

The Lord is my helper;

I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me? (see Deuteronomy 31:6 and Psalm 118:6)

What can man do to me? Why should I be afraid of anything? God is my Helper, right? Right!

So, we are serving a God who will protect us at all cost and as a result we literally have nothing to be afraid of on earth or in heaven. How do we demonstrate this in our daily lives?

To begin with we “crack” our Bibles and reflect on the passages in Deuteronomy and Psalms, we learn from the experiences of our spiritual forefathers, we continue in brotherly love and we do not neglect basic hospitality to our guests.

Our guests may be angels. Guests, like brothers and sisters, are those who cross our paths and those who are already with us. Additionally, we are commanded to be faithful to our spouses as well as to God and our brethren, to allow God to judge while we love the best we know how, to be free from the corruption of too much money, and to be content with a God who will simply not forsake us.

[Hebrews 13:7-13] Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by foods, since those involved in them have not benefited. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle do not have a right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood. Let us then go to Him outside the camp, bearing His disgrace.

Let us first go “outside the camp” sharing Jesus’ own grace and humiliation on the cross. Why would we do this? Why would the author of Hebrews suggest such a thing? Because if we actually humble ourselves to a greater extent than we thought possible, then we are more likely to imitate, and even emulate, Christ more effectively!

How else would we possibly …

 Remember (do not deride or slander) our leaders?

 Observe right leadership (watch for the outcomes of their lives)?

 Imitate (the faith of) sound leadership?

 Do not be led astray by (strange) un-Godly leadership?

 Allow our hearts to be grace-filled (not filled with rotting fruit)?

 Know the altar of God and honor it (not worshipping at the altars of false gods)?

Only by the blood of Jesus Christ are these things possible! It is by Him who is the same yesterday, today and forever. In Jesus is our hope and a brighter future.

[Hebrews 8:14-19] For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come. Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name. Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Pray for us; for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything. And I especially urge you to pray that I may be restored to you very soon.

We do not yet have what we seek. We have not arrived just yet. That means our journey continues, and there is still time for us, and those who seek God in Jesus Christ, to accept Him and to conform our lives to Him (in the shape of a cross). This is our redemption! This is our rebirth in the Spirit.

We are told that we do not have an enduring city her … not yet. We seek the one to come and it is on its way. Make no mistake: prophecy is being fulfilled in our presence, in this generation …

 In these tumultuous times we must:

 Continually offer up a sacrifice of praise;

 Let our lips confess Jesus’ holy name;

 Don’t neglect to do the right thing;

 Honor leadership both sacred and secular; pray for them;

 Pray for one another;

 Love one another.

[Hebrews 13:20-25] Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep with the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with all that is good to do His will, working in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to Him forever and ever. Amen. Brothers, I urge you to receive this message of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. Be aware that our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon enough, he will be with me when I see you. Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who are from Italy greet you. Grace be with all of you.

The author of Hebrews ends his epistle in a very Pauline manner. This was reflected, also, in the previous passage when he urged Jesus people everywhere to “pray that I may be restored to you very soon.” I can tell you, my flock, that as I write this the same request is on my lips. Please pray for me and for all spiritual leaders to be restored to fullness. You have no idea what temptations and obstacles the Enemy is likely to employ. Only know that no leader can survive for long without those loyalists being led and manning the front lines.

“Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus — the great Shepherd of the sheep with the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with all that is good to do His will, working in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to Him forever and ever. Amen.”

To Jesus Christ the glory (+)

Afterward:

This is a letter that I recommend all students of the Bible read in concert with John, Acts and Romans, Psalms, Job, and the books of the Torah.

It is uniquely instructional, and leaves one with the sense of a supernatural legacy, one directed and fulfilled by God’s own hand. Along with its keen sense of instruction regarding the pride of informed Zionism, the most compelling part of the book is its unabashed preeminence of Jesus Christ, and Him drawn into and through history, as the basis for all prophetic Scripture.

As well, there is the familiar narrative that is in keeping with other Pauline epistles. Whether Paul wrote it or merely influenced it, it is my opinion that his style is unmistakable. The final passage seems all-too-familiar …

The author lives in Ohio with his wife Rebecca and their 5 cats.

Other works of Sean’s can also be found on the ISSUU website; they include, …

In the Beginning: a study on the Gospel of John

Diet of a Madman: a collection of poetry

Thomas: The Gospel of Thomas researched

The Voice God Gave Me: Meditations for a Year

and … Various photo collections

Copyright 2018

Photo taken by Rebecca Lawrence