Category: Facing Life with Faith

Re: Verse reading–Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:1-10 (day one)
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”  (v 4:14)   It would be hard to find a more universally respected figure in the ancient world than the Jewish High Priest.  White robes flowing.  Having gone through a process of purification.  He appeared in public every Passover to enter into the “Holy of Holies” and present the offering before God, symbolizing the promise of atonement.  There is One who deserves more respect.  Much more. When Jesus “disappeared” into heaven, as the High Priest disappeared by passing through the Temple veil, He did a similar and superior work.  He successfully represented the needs of sinful people before a Holy God.  Our study this week will make use of this powerful image.  Can you see (eyes of faith) the Lord still there before the throne of God  faithfully interceding for you?

Re: Verse reading–Hebrews 3:7-19; 4:1-13 (day seven)
“Take care, brothers, that there not be in any one of you an EVIL, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”  (3:12)  Is unbelief evil?  Most don’t think so.  Part of sin’s deceptiveness.  ( See v 13.)  Sin whispers that we are morally free to say “yes” or “no” to God without liability.  We are victims, not rebels.  To believe this lie, rather than God, is to side with evil.  It is an insult to God.  He DESERVES to be trusted.  It is evil in essence AND outcome. Hebrews 3 tells how the children of Israel failed to enter God’s rest because of unbelief.  Warning!  It is no small matter to stop trusting God. Even after years of faithful obedience, the results are devastating. Christ is the “Alpha and the Omega”.  People who are in Christ both “start and finish” this race.  It is evil to never trust God. . .even worse to start and then stop.

Re: Verse reading–Hebrews 3:7-19; 4:1-13 (day six)
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in. . .the time of testing in the desert, when your fathers tested Me.  (3:8-9)  When we were in school, our teachers gave us tests.  Their purpose was not to cause stress or to make us fail.  They simply wanted us to learn and were willing to apply the threat of failure as a motivation.  Our Heavenly Teacher does the same.  To help us learn the lessons of life, He allows stress/challenge/danger in the hope that we will turn to Him and find Him sufficient for all things.  THE lesson!  Failure in this moment amounts to “hardening” of the heart.  An unwillingness to trust/obey, a stubborn self-sufficiency that just ” wants out” of the present pain.  These earn us a big “F”.  The danger is not that God puts us to the test.  The danger is that we, sometimes, return the favor.

Re: Verse reading–Hebrews 3:7-4:13 (day five)
Only twice in the entire book of Hebrews does the author use the verb, “to believe” (although he’ll use the noun, “faith” or “belief” thirty-two times). Like a carpenter driving in an extra nail to hold the board securely in place, the author slams home the point that it is those who believe the good news who find rest not just those who hear the good news (4:2). It‘s not enough to be around people of faith. We must become a person of faith. It’s not enough to inherit a tradition of faith. We must take hold of it ourselves. As Jacob grabbed the Angel of the Lord and demanded a blessing before he released him (Genesis 32:24-26), so we must grab hold of the claims of the gospel and not let go until our lives are utterly transformed. Transforming faith is an active faith. The bad news is some will miss the “rest” offered by the gospel because they simply stood still. The good news is the promise to “enter the rest” is secure for all who believe.

Re: Verse reading–Hebrews 3:1-4:13 (day four)
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”  While you have today, you can begin to count on Jesus Christ–the only one who can teach you to live an eternal kind of life.  While you are alive in this life, you can decide to hear him, to get to know him.  You might not have much, but you have today.

Re: Verse reading–Hebrews 3:7-4:13 (day three)
Moses was faithful in all his house as a servant and was worthy of honor.  Jesus was faithful to Him who appointed Him and is worthy of greater honor.  The writer of Hebrews, in verse 12, says, “Take care, Brethren, that there not be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”  He is talking about being faithful.  We are to be faithful, and to encourage one another to be faithful.  Verse 13 says “so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”  It is faith that keeps us ‘in Christ’.  It is faith that holds us fast in our assurance of Christ.  There is no greater sadness than for a person to hear the gospel, but not unite it with faith.  They do not find the rest promised by God, but rather they fall through disobedience.  The key is faith.  Because of Christ, we can hold fast to our confession.  Walk by faith!

RE Verse reading–Hebrews 3:7-19 (day one)
“Do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion. . .I declared in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” (v 8, 11)  One of the great promises of the Scripture is rest found in God.  A sense of peace.  The ability to look with confidence on the present and the future.  An absence of anxiety.  When Jesus said, “Come unto me, and I will give you rest”(Matthew 11:28), He implied something more than just physical approach.  Only as our coming to Christ includes surrender does it bring the promised peace to the soul.  The Bible says that rebellion in every heart is a reality we all must face.  “We do not want this man to reign over us” say the characters in one of Jesus’ parables. (Luke 19:14)  Sad.  My anxiety will be proportionate to my need for control.  When I come to Christ,  and call Him Lord, rest comes!  It is a promise.

RE Verse reading–Hebrews 1:1-6, 14; 2:1-4 (day seven)
“When He brings again the Firstborn into the world, He says, ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’ ” (1:6)  Last week at FBC was “Easter in August”.  This week is “Christmas in September”.   Ancients firmly believed in angels.  They were convinced that God sent “messengers” to protect and serve believers.  The scripture tells these stories, describes these luminous, strong, pure beings.  One important way that angels serve us is to example worship of Christ.  Remember the Christmas story?  The skies over Bethlehem EXPLODE  with joyful, powerful praise at the birth of the Son of God?  How much more should we, the recipients of such salvation, enter into worship with whole hearts?  I have never SEEN an angel.  Not that I know of.  The more important question, have I HEARD what they are saying?  Followed their example?  “Glory to God in the highest!”  See you in a few hours. . .we will shout it together!

Re: Verse reading–Hebrews 1:1-6, 14; 2:1-4 (day six)
“But in these last days He (God) has spoken to us in His Son. ..We (therefore) must pay more careful attention.”  (v. 1:2, 2:1)  Have you ever seen a small child (thinking that her Dad is not listening to her) take his face in her hands and hold it toward her?  In Hebrews 2, the Bible uses a similar picture.  The Greek word for pay attention means, literally, “to hold toward”.  In this case the responsibility is ours.  We are to “hold our face toward God”, not rushing away from a Quiet Time before we hear what the Spirit is saying.  Most spiritual weakness these days is a function of haste.  Insufficient time and attention is paid to God.  Do we wonder why His promises seem so far away?  At the transfiguration (Matthew 17), God the Father gives similar instruction.  “This is my beloved Son. . .  Listen to Him!”  Do you have His perspective/His wisdom?  Are you listening?

Re: Verse reading – Hebrews 1:1-2:4 (day 5)
“He has spoken to us by His Son” (1:2). Words are powerful. His “I’m proud of you, son” anchored my heart against the tumult of difficulty and failure. Her “yes” to my marriage proposal hurled me into a whole new way of life. His “welcome home” opened a wide door of ministry in a new city. His “can I pray, Dad?” gave me a glimpse of the lifetime that is at stake in quiet moments we share as a family. Words are powerful. They shape identity, define relationships, propel progress and create hope. If words spoken between two human beings can carry this life-shaping power, how much more is contained in the Word of the Infinite, Mysterious Divine One? “We must therefore pay even more attention to what we have heard…” (2:1). “Even more attention” seems to be a bit of an understatement! If the Divine has indeed spoken, then we must pay the utmost attention to that Word.