Saturday, April 26, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 13:1-25
1 Let love of the brethren continue.
2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
3 Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.
4 Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”
6 so that we confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?”
7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
9 Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.
10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.
11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.
12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.
15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.
19 And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.
20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,
21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
22 But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.
23 Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you.
24 Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from
25 Grace be with you all.
“Let love of the brethren continue.” Do not fail to love your brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus died for the church and we should love the church second only to Christ. Continue to suffer for the church – do not go weary in doing good for the body. Continue to care for the prisoners and for the weak. Love them as you would want to be loved and love them as Christ loved us – sacrificing His own life for His bride.
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Be a person who is hospitable to strangers. Anyone can love and be giving to a friend, but Christ has called us to show kindness to the stranger. By this you are giving a testimony to the world that Christ is no respecters of persons, but that the offer of grace is for all. So be like Christ and be kind to everyone, even those who persecute you and hate you. For by being kind to strangers, some will entertain angels whom God has sent for His purposes. You never know who that stranger might be – so show kindness and hospitality to all.
“Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.” Care for the prisoners. Help them in their needs and think of them as if you were right beside them. Think of the loneliness you would feel. Think of the pains of the beating. Think of the sorrows of missing your family. Think of them always and the stress and pain that you would endure so that you care for them more. Love them and care for them. And remember that they are apart of your body. When a member of a body is hurt the whole body is weakened. So care for them and also for those who are mistreated that they might be strengthened and thus the whole body strengthened.
“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Marriage is good and a gift of God. However, keep the marriage bed undefiled. Guard yourselves and know the weaknesses of the flesh and the temptation of the devil. Keep yourself from all wickedness. Help the single remain strong and pure and pray for the married that the devil might not allow them to grow weak. Remember that marriage is to be a picture of Christ and His church – guard it with everything you have.
“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’” The Lord is good and kind and gives us all we need. Therefore do not be bitter when you see the wicked man who has much. Do not long for money and make it your God that you might have abundance and security. But give thanks to God for what He has given you. Remain content with what you have, even if little. Remember that this world is but a vapor, the end is quickly approaching and all of this will be wiped away. Treasure that which can never be taken from you – which is Christ your God. “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25-26). Christ has given us the greatest gift we could ever imagine. He has given us Himself. In Matthews 28 He commissions His people to go and gives us this promise, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (20). He is with you. Why would you desire anything else in this world? So don’t strive and work for riches, but strive and long for Christ. Glorify God by showing that all in this world is vain, but Christ is glorious. Live in such a way that people will see that your heart is not set on the things of this world, but your heart is set on the things in heaven. Glorify God by not striving for money and working for a better life, but by giving thanks for what you have and being willing to turn from this world and live a life of suffering and afflictions for the sake of the name – that the name of Christ might be glorified in all the earth.
“Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” Give thanks to God for those whom He placed over you. Remember them and pray for them who led you in this live that you might find Him and live for His glory. Praise God for those who spoke the word of God to you. If they are still alive give praise and thanks to them. Remember the life they lived. Remember how it was honorable and good and glorifying to Christ. Imitate them that you might be worthy as they were. And imitate their faith, a faith that trusted in Christ above all things and endured to the end.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.” Jesus is the same today as He was a hundred years ago. He will never change. So do not be carried away by ever new and strange teaching. Keep your heart steadfast on the things that have been taught to you. And it is good for your heart to be strengthened by grace, but do not think of foods as a means to gain strength. No food can give courage to your heart when it is weak. No food can help you live better today than it did yesterday. But seek grace – approach the throne of grace that you might find help in time of need. It is by grace that you are saved, so long for God and for His grace and do not try to use anything of this world to strengthen you.
“We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.” And to not consider yourself apart of the Old Covenant community, because we have a better alter and a better sacrifice to eat from. They bring goats and calves, but we have the Son of the Living God. And just as the animals were taken outside the camp to be offered, so was Christ. He did not suffer His reproach from within, but was forced out.
“So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Let us go outside the camp where we are left vulnerable. Go with Him to where there is shame and reproach. Do not seek for yourself a place of comfort and ease, but see the lasting city which is to come. Do not try to make this world a paradise, but live in the hardest parts of this world that those who have never heard of Christ might know Him and find grace in His sight and that He might be seen as glorious among the nations. Do not make this world look like heaven, but show that you are longing for heaven by giving praise to God and doing good for all men, even – especially when it makes life hard on you.
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” Obey your elders and submit to their authority. They will one day stand before the God of this world and will give an account for the words they have spoken and the actions they have made. So honor them as men of a high position. And let them serve as your leader with joy and not grief. Don’t make life on them hard, but give them many reasons for praise to God because of you. There is no good in you making life hard on your elders, so live in such a way that you make them happy and they are encouraged by you.
“Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things. And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.” Pray for those who are about the Lord’s work. Ask God to increase their ministry and for Him to guide their footsteps.
”Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Oh, how might we long that God would work in us to do what is pleasing in His sight. How blessed we are that He gave His only Son to die for us that we might be brought into the New and Eternal Covenant. Might He bless us to make up apt for every good work He has prepared for us that we might living for Him and that be would receive glory forever and ever.
“But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you. Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from
“Grace be with you all.”
PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 12:18-29
18 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,
19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.
20 For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.”
21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.”
22 But you have come to
23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.
25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.
26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.”
27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;
29 for our God is a consuming fire.
“For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.” The preacher points to the wilderness generations experience at
“For they could not bear the command, ‘If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.’ And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, ‘I am full of fear and trembling.’ But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” But we are the New Covenant people and we do not live in constant fear of God and His mighty judgment. Rather, we have come to
“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.” The God who speaks is speaking. He spoke through the prophets and now in His Son. Listen up! “And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.’ This expression, ‘Yet once more,’ denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.” By the power of His word He will shake the earth and the heavens. All that will be left what He has established as unshakeable. He is going to in completely do away with the physical and establish the enternal. “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe”. Worship should be the response to such a great gift. God has prepared for us a place of eternal dwelling that will never be damaged by sin. There is never to be anything wrong in this unshakeable kingdom and this should lead to praise and adoration. But for those who are not apart of this kingdom, “our God is a consuming fire” and should be greatly feared.
PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebews 12:1-17
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;
5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;
6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He scourges every son whom He receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.
11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,
13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.
14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.
15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.
17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,” that is those who are named in chapter 11, “let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us”. The preacher seems to have two different things in mind here: encumbrances and sin. How do these differ? There are many things in this world which are enjoyable and yet not sin. Pastor John Piper says that TV is the great American time waster. Thousands of Americans waist their entire evening staring at a screen for nothing. Another thing that so many waist their lives on is sports. Children are taught that competing well in sports is the ultimate good in their lives. Families choose to skip church on Wednesday nights for baseball practice. Players take weekend trips to play basketball instead of being in fellowship with God’s people on Sunday. None of these things are bad, but when we look at what is before us we have to ask ourselves if these things are worth the cost. When people are going to hell every day, should TV and sports be what consumes most of our time? And there are many things that hinder us like these things. The other thing we must lay aside is sin. No believer can live for God as he should with sin in his life. The preacher has been clear that the means to beating sin is by paying close attention to Christ in His Word and by coming before His throne. We must defeat sin in our lives if we are going to accomplish anything.
“And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” The Christian life is not a life of ease, but of pain and struggle. It is like running a marathon and there is nothing but painful grueling agony to the end through much of it. But what keeps us going is an eyes on Christ – setting Him as the end of our race and the joy of our heart. We run to Him like a great treasure. We desire nothing more than Him in this life and we will struggle and suffer through everything in this world to get to Him. And to endure it we think about what He endured and suffered and consider how much He suffered and how little our suffering is in comparison. That way we continue in strength and not grow weary and lose heart in this long race.
“You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;” you have not suffered death like Christ because of living righteously “and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.’” It is because the Lord loves you that you endure such hardship and afflictions. He is doing this to make you more discipline. Do not lose heart because the Father reproves you, because He does it out of love and care. “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” Here the preacher makes a strong argument for why these Christians should rejoice in their afflictions, because they are being disciplined by the Father because He loves them. If their life was easy and painless, we would need to question if they are loved as children. How many in the church today are mocked and scorned because of the suffering they endure. Might it be that those who are faithful suffer, while the ones who seem to have everything going well are the ones who are disobedient, but God does not reprove them because He has no love for them? The ones who are loved will be discipline and transformed into the image of the Son.
“Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.” Our earthly fathers disciplined us because they loved us and wanted to do what was best for us, but they only did what they thought was right. However, our heavenly father disciplines us according to wisdom and we are for certain that His discipline is for good in making us holy. “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
“Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.” We are one body and if one is weak the whole body is weak. Therefore we should “pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.” Here again the preacher commands that we look for one another; that we constantly encourage one another that there not be any who fall into sin, especially so that none be like Esau who could find no repentance though he sought it with tears.
PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 11:1-40
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
2 For by it the men of old gained approval.
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.
5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;
10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.
12 Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son;
18 it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.”
19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.
21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,
25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of
27 By faith he left
28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.
29 By faith they passed through the
30 By faith the walls of
31 By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,
33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,
34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
35 Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;
36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.
37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated
38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,
40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
Here the preacher gives the greatest definition for what faith is. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” It is placing absolute trust in what we cannot see and the things we look forward to. We all remember the story of doubting Thomas who would not believe unless he touched the wounds of Christ. Jesus said blessed would be those who believed without being able to touch and see. The preaching is writing to a congration just like us – we never saw Christ, we never saw His micacles, and we never saw Him after the resurrection. We just have a conviction that what the Bible tells us is true. We have faith in it. And we are like the Apostles who look forward with hope. This isn’t a hope like a wish, but a hope that is certain and one by which we can ground our lives in. We live in that hope. That is the sort of faith that is needed in order to endure the life of pain and suffering that comes with being a Christian.
“For by it the men of old gained approval.” As we will see in a minute, there are many who had faith. Faith is not a New Covenant phenomenon, but something that has made men apart of the community of God from the beginning. And “by faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” We understand this world to have been created by God from nothing. We cannot prove this by science, there is no way to argue this from reason alone, but we have to have faith that it is true.
“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Here is another defining mark about faith – it is necessary to please God. Without faith it is impossible for God to be satisfied in what we do. And the faith that is necessary has to believe that God is God, and that He exist and that He is the rewarder of those who seek Him. There are many in the world today who teach that all you need is faith, but do not define what your faith must be in. Faith in false gods is as good as faith in God. Your faith can be in a tree, it really doesn’t matter as long as you have faith. But that is not what the preacher says here. He demands that we believe in God, the God who has revealed Himself in the Bible and most clearly in His Son. Ultimately you have to believe in Jesus and see after Him and trust that He will reward you if you do – other wise your faith is in vain.
“By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Here is another mark of faith – its hope is not in the things of this world, but in the heavens, which is the dwelling place of God. Our faith shouldn’t be in having a good future. We shouldn’t hope for a good life with no suffering or pain. Rather, our hope and faith should be in Christ and long for nothing more than Him. He should be all we long for and therefore we look forward to the heavenly city where we will dwell with Him for eternity.
“By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” A true faith will believe that the one who promised is faithful. God is not like a man that He should lie. God is not like a man that He might not be able to keep what He has said. But God is faithful and that faithful is sustained by His infinite wisdom and power. Our faith should have such great confidence that even when a woman is 90, if God says she will have a son we will believe it. Our faith should be so confident that if God calls us to minister in the projects, or in foreign lands, or among our family who might reject us, we should go forth in great confidence because He is able to do what He wills and no matter what happens to us it doesn’t matter because this life isn’t what we are longing for.
“Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” By faith the patriarchs lived as sojourners on this land by looking to the great city God had prepared for them. If the promise land had just been a few square miles of land in
“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.” Abraham could have rejected God’s command here, but instead he was obedient though faith. He knew that his son was the promised child and necessary for the promise of the covenant and so he had faith that God could and would raise him from the dead. And this was done as a sign, as a type of what was to come, that is Christ who was raised from the grace in ensure the promises of bringing God’s people to the heavenly city.
“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of
“By faith he left
It is by faith that men both gained great victories and endured great trails. Faith is the fiber that keeps the believer secured to God. And faith is what makes it possible for the believer to please God in any way. And faith has been made possible by Christ. “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” It was not until the New Covenant people came that the fullness of the promises could be obtained. In order for the faith of the saints of old to mean anything they were dependent on the work of Jesus on the cross. They placed their faith in what was to come and we must place our faith in what is to come – a heavenly city made possible by the work and blood of Jesus Christ our Savior.
PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 10:26-39
26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.
28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32 But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings,
33 partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated.
34 For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.
35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
37 For yet in a very little while,
He who is coming will come, and will not delay.
38 But My righteous one shall live by faith;
And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.
“For if we go on sinning willfully 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 which will consume the adversaries.” The offer of the sacrifice is there for all who will come. However, the sacrifice is only good for those who will come to it in faith. And the faith that is needed to come to it always produces fruit, not sin. This verse is not saying that one can fall away from the sacrifice. We have dealt with that in previous passage in other warning passages and so I will not deal with that here. Rather, what is being said is that if you go outside of Christ sacrifice there is no other sacrifice that can forgive sins. If you continue in sin that shows that the sacrifice of Christ has not been applied to you, other wise you would have continued in it. So if you continue in sin you have no hope of salvation because there is no sacrifice to cleanse you from your sins.
“Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” Here the author again makes a lesser to greater argument. In the Old Covenant a man could be condemned by the testimony of two or three witnesses. There was no mercy for the one who broke the Law. If you did wrong according to the Law you were condemned – no questions asked. How much greater punishment do you think the person who tramples under food the Son of God will receive? He has regarded the blood of Jesus, the blood of the covenant, as unclean and has insulted the very Spirit of God that offers grace. He is worse than the Old Covenant sinner who was disobedient because this person has made Christ look like nothing. The great end of man is to make Christ look great. Man is to glorify God by making Him look supreme to all things. But the man who turns away from Christ makes Him look like dirt. If a great suffering came from disobedience in the Old Covenant, I would not dare consider how great the punishment would be for the one that made Christ look like nothing. “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, 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.”
“But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.” Here the preacher brings to remembrance the good things the members of the congregation have done. They have not done wickedness. Rather, they have suffered for the sake of Christ and made Him look great by sticking to the faith even in the midst of trials. They suffered public humiliation for Christ name and endured it with joy. They took care of their own who were in prison for the faith and because of that they suffered loss of their possessions. And they did this with joy because they new that their hope was not in this world. He gives them a strong warning that if they fall away there is no hope for them, but he encourages them by reminding them of the faithfulness they have shown.
“Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” He pleads with them to not give us. Remain faithful because we have a great promise waiting on us. Have endurance and encourage those who are weak. “For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” We have the greatest hope, the one who died for us will come to gather us up. All we must do is continue in faith and not shrink back, and this is the sort of faith we have – a faith to the preserving of the soul.
PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 10:19-25
19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus”. By the blood of Jesus Christ we have free entrance to enter into the holy place of God. There no longer remains a separation between God and us because the sin that divided has been dealt with in His Son. The blood of Christ has cleansed us and so we can have full confidence to go before God. We are completely different from the Old Covenant people who had tremendous fear of God and would not even dare go before Him. When they heard His voice they sent Moses to the mountain to listen to God out of fear of Him. And they had good reason to be fearful for God is an awesome God and will have no dealings with sin. So how much greater is the New Covenant under Christ so that we no longer have this fear of God, but confidence that He will accept us and hear us.
This confidence has come “by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,” which has been destroyed for us. The veil of the Old Covenant stood as the great separation between God and His people. Only one man once and year could go into the Holy of Holies to make the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. But the veil was only a sign or a shadow of what was truly to come. What the veil pointed to was the very flesh of Christ and when the flesh of Christ was torn so was the veil. The New Testament tells of the death of Christ and the veil being torn from top to bottom when the death of Christ came. Thus, when the true veil had been broken, God tore the veil of the Temple/Tabernacle because there is no longer separation between God and His people because sin has been dealt with.
“And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Because we have a mediator with God who intercedes for us we can have full assurance and joy in drawing near to God through Christ. We don’t have a God who looks at us as an angry judge who hates us for our sin, but as a father who loves us and has forgiven us. We have been sprinkled clean and washed pure, both our conscience and our flesh is undefiled in His sight. Thus, we can draw near to God and we should long to draw near to Him because He has provided the means to make it possible.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful”. This is such a great promise in the Bible, that the one who makes promises is faithful. God will not go back on His word. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He has promised to bless us and care for us and we can have complete confidence in this because He is faithful. When friends might fail us, when spouses might fail us, jobs fail us, and our own bodies fail us, He will never fail us. He is faithful to the end. How could we lose grip on the confession or our hope with such a great promise behind it?
So “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Yet, though we have such a great promise, we still reside in this fallen world and battle against a fall flesh and suffer the attacks of a fallen being. It is not in our nature to constantly trust in God. We many times have to fight for that. So often we begin to fail because our flesh is weak. That is why the preacher commands us not to forsake the assembling together of God’s people and tells us to find ways to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. He understands that it is hard to keep the faith. It is hard to stand strong in the midst of pain and persecution. Therefore we are go gather with believer to be encouraged and also to encourage. It is our God given responsibility to carry believers along the path of faith with us. God has given us the responsibility of being our brother’s keeper.
PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 10:1-18
1 For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.
2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?
3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.
4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,
“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,
But a body You have prepared for Me;
6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.
7 “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come
(In the scroll of the book it is written of Me)
To do Your will, O God.’ ”
8 After saying above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the Law),
9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second.
10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;
12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,
13 waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.
14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws upon their heart,
And on their mind I will write them,”
He then says,
17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds
I will remember no more.”
18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.
“For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things,” The Law was never given to take away sin, but it was a sign of the great thing to come that we might understand the significance of the great sacrifice. The Law “can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?” Again we see the weakness of the Old Covenant sacrifice, it was never able to make perfect the worshiper and thus the worshiper could never draw near to God. God was always feared. No one ever wanted to go to the
“Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure. ‘Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do Your will, O God.’’ After saying above, ‘Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the Law), then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will.’ He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Here the author pulls the Messianic meaning from an Old Testament psalm. David is pleading for God to rescue him and speaks of his new learning, that is that God is not pleased with sacrifices and offering, but rather He desires obedience – for one to do His will. And so where David said, here Christ says, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” By this Christ is replacing the Old Covenant sacrifice with Himself by being offered up once and for all.
“Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices” because the work of satisfying God’s wrath is never complete. There offerings never accomplish the task of forgiveness. These sacrifices “can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God”. Christ, unlike any other priest of God sat down. They would go before the alter over and over with their work never being finished, but Christ sat down. His work is finished. He completed the task. Salvation is secured in Him. So now He sits “waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.” All things are completely under His subjection and He rules from the right hand, but because of His providence and mercy He allows life to continue as it is for His purposes until God makes His enemies a footstool for His feet.
“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.” This one offering of Christ has perfected, made complete and without sin before God those who are set apart by the New Covenant. And so the preacher closes the doctrinal heart of this book by bringing to fulfillment in our minds the blessing and hope of the New Covenant inaugurated by the blood of Christ. There is no longer sin hanging over the head of the believer because Christ has dealt with that sin and so there no longer remains any sacrifices. The New Covenant is far superior to the Old and Jesus is its high priest.
PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 9:11-28
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;
12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.
17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.
18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.
19 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.”
21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.
22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.
26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come,” that is the New Covenant priesthood, “He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation”. Rather, Jesus entered into the heavens, the throne room of God and made the eternal offering in the true Holy of Holies. And He entered “not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Jesus as the great high priest went into the very presence of God and offered up the perfect sacrifice that is able to take away the sins of men, that is His own blood. The blood of goats and calves could not do what had to be done. Therefore God designed for His Son to pay the death penalty for His chosen people. And so Christ sacrificed Himself before the Father.
“For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” In the Old Covenant the offering were made for the people’s sins and it cleansed their flesh, that is to say that it worked as a remover of sins before God as He looked on them in light of what Christ would do for them. However, year after year they would have to offer these sacrifices to God to be cleansed and the constant sacrifices served as reminders of their sin. So even if their flesh was cleansed, they were left with guilty consciences. Thus, moving from the lesser to greater, Christ’s sacrifice is far superior because it insures eternal peace with God, because one sacrifice has secured it. There is therefore no longer a reminder of sins, but a free and gracious conscience before God. Thus, we can serve Him in joy and hope and not in fear.
“For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a covenant is, there must be the death of one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.’” For a covenant to be set in action there has to be a dying. We see in the Abrahamic covenant a dying of animals and the death of the party if it is broken. The Mosaic covenant was enacted by the blood of animals. Therefore, Christ had to die for this New Covenant to be instituted and not only do the New Covenant members enjoy its inheritance, but all of the Old Covenant members who trusted in its promise. “And in the same way [Moses] sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with blood. And according to the Law, almost all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
“Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.” This does not mean that the heavenly place was at all defiled, for God cannot dwell in a defiled place. Rather, this is making reference to the New Covenant people’s need of a sacrifice in order to enter the holy place of God. Until the blood was sprinkled on the holy place the sins could not be forgiven. “For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Thus, the New Covenant priesthood and sacrifice is much better, because in one act it does what the Old Covenant could never do. It has been away sins for an eternity – all of those from the past, every sin in our present, and including all sins to come in the future. Christ now acts as our high priest in heaven as a mediator and no longer as a sacrifice.
“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” And here is the great hope of the New Covenant, a longing and eager waiting on Christ return, who will not come to deal with sin for who trust in Him because that sin has already dealt with. Thus, though a judgment awaits us, it is not one to be feared or to be anxious over – but joyful over.
PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 9:1-10
1 Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.
2 For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.
3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,
4 having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
6 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,
7 but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.
8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,
9 which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,
10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.
“Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.” This is where the priest would enter constantly to offer sacrifices and gifts to the Lord for their sins. “Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat”. This is also referred to as the
“Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship”. This was something that had to be done over and over and over, and the preacher wants us to understand that. The “priest are continually entering”. Their work is never finished. Now many priest did the work of offerings in the outer tabernacle, “but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance”. The Law prescribed offerings that had to be had for sin, but they like all men have many sins they didn’t even know about which they would not have made offerings for. Thus, God provided for them a way to deal with those sin done in ignorance. Once a year, the high priest of the people would enter into the Holy of Holies to make an offering for sins. He would go in with blood, for there is no forgiveness without blood, and offer it as a sacrifice for the sins of the people. But not only for the people, but also for himself, thus he is a weak mediator between God and man because he is as sinful and needs a sacrifice as much as the rest of us.
“The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing”. While the outer tabernacle still stands there is a blockade between us and God. There remains a separation between us because He cannot allow sinfulness to be in His presence. Thus, while the outer tabernacle still stands we cannot be in the presence of God. This the outer tabernacle ““is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.” Everything that the priest does, even with in being in accordance with God’s Word and will, cannot make the worshiper clear in conscience. There still remains a separation between God and the individual. The outer tabernacle must be torn down.
Because we know the end of the story, we can begin to see where the preacher is taking us. We know that that Holy of Holies is really just a type of the true tabernacle which is in heaven where the Father dwells. Thus, the outer tabernacle had to be removed and the veil torn down. All praise be to God that through Jesus’ death the veil was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51) because the thing the veil foreshadowed was torn for our transgressions. “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh” (Hebrews 10:20). Christ flesh was the veil and by it being destroyed in death, so now we enterance into the Holy of Holies in heaven before the throne of God, thus “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (10:22).
PERSONAL JOURNAL/MEDITATION AND REFLECTION: Hebrews 8:1-13
1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
2 a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.
3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.
4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law;
5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “See,” He says, “that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.”
6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.
8 For finding fault with them, He says,
“Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
When I will effect a new covenant
With the house of
9 Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers
On the day when I took them by the hand
To lead them out of the
For they did not continue in My covenant,
And I did not care for them, says the Lord.
10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
11 “And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For all will know Me,
From the least to the greatest of them.
12 “For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no more.”
13 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.
“Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.” The preacher here gives us his whole reason for everything that he has said thus far: we have a high priest who sits in heaven at the right hand of God who ministers in the true tabernacle made by God. What could be more inspiring, more freeing to sinful men then to know that they have a mediator for them before a God who hates sin and this mediator is also their Lord. The very one who loves them and died for them is the same one who sits at the right hand and has been given all authority. Now that is comforting.
“For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “See,” He says, “that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.” But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.” Thus, Jesus, like all priest, has been appointed for the purpose of offing gifts and sacrifices. Here we see the fullness of the typology of the old covenant. The priest who made offerings according to the Law was pointing toward the greater fulfillment in Christ. Now, if Christ was still on earth He would not be making the offerings, because the Law has already determined that there are priest according to Levi and Aaron to make those offerings and Christ does not go against the Law, but fulfills it. Rather, the priests on earth make offerings and serve a copy of the heavenly things, where as Jesus makes His offering in the heavenly tabernacle.
“For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.” If God had designed the first covenant to be an everlasting one with no weaknesses then He would not have called for a second one, but “finding fault with them, He says, ‘Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, When I will effect a new covenant With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in My covenant, I did not care for them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of
Here the preacher gives us the new covenant found in Jeremiah 31. Days are coming when God will make a new covenant with His people. It will not be like the covenant He made with the fathers who turned away from God and did not trust in His Word. They turned away from Him and He did not care for them. But in the new covenant God will put His laws into the minds of His people and He will write them on their hearts. He will be their God and they shall be His people. No one will teach his fellow citizen or brother to know the Lord, because all of the new covenant people will know the Lord and God will not show any partiality with them. He will be merciful to their iniquities and remember their sins no more. For a people who was struggling with steadfastness, the preacher speaks of something so simple, yet strong and passionate. We no longer have to worry about falling away from God. If we are His then He will keep us. We will know Him, unlike the wilderness generation who, though seeing His works, did not believe His Word. And we have no reason to fear His presence, but we can rejoice in that He has been merciful to us and has no remembrance of our sins. Before Him, but the work of Christ, we are clean and precious. He is our God and we are His people.
What a great God we have. Who can imagine a God more amazing than Him? He has done all of this for us. We did nothing. We have accomplished no work to make this a reality, we have done nothing to deserve it, but God is His joyful splendor chose to do this for our great blessing. And “when He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. But what ever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.” God gave us a new covenant to replace the one that was faulty and to do this He did it as the sake of His Son who suffered and died for our sins. Great is our God and in Him should we trust.
