Hebrews 11, Faith

 

Hebrews 11 Faith

To have faith means more than just to believe. Many people claim to believe in God, but do they really know Him? To know God requires faith. Hebrews defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith starts out certain. When people believe that God will fulfill His promises, they are showing true faith, even when they don’t see evidence despite trusting in the character of God, believing His promises and knowing that His rewards are sure. Jesus said to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29.

When people have faith in God, they know without a doubt that He will keep His promises. They live and make choices in this world based on the unseen reality of their future home in heaven. They persevere in their faith despite pain, hardship or persecution, because they are convinced that the unseen God is with them. In short, faith in God makes all the difference, both now and for eternity. When people have faith, they discover that they can have a personal relationship with God through trusting His Son, the Savior sent as a provision for their sins. Do you simply believe that there is a God, or do you have a personal relationship with Him? There is a big difference.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.      J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

 

Hebrews 10, God's Work

 

Hebrews 10, God’s Work

 

Everyone would like to look perfect and do perfect work. Most of us will find perfection elusive in every area of life. No matter how much we try, we fail. If we seek to live the perfect Christian life, our thoughts or attitudes will trip us up before we even get out of bed in the morning. Perfectionists believe that they should never make mistakes and that it is a catastrophe when they do. They tend to become upset when people or situations are out of their control and don’t go the way they “should.” They expect more from themselves and others than is reasonable and often become angry and bitter as a result. Though perfectionism in people is common, it carries a high price tag in terms of causing emotional problems, relationship difficulties, and spiritual burnout.

Here are some steps to help perfectionists become more realistic in their life and personal abilities:

1.    Humble yourself before God and repent of pride.

2.    Face life as it really is and not how you think it should be.

3.    Set goals that are small, realistic and achievable in the here and now.

4.    Set reasonable time limits on your activities.

5.    Accept doing “good enough” on your tasks.

6.    Stop thinking in all or nothing terms.

7.    Confess your sins to others.

8.    Stop and enjoy where you are in life.

9.    Find worth in God in being His Creation.

So, what does it mean for believers that Christ’s sacrifice “perfected forever those who are being sanctified?” Believers have been made perfect in God’s eyes because of the death and resurrection of Christ. However, we are “being sanctified”, being made perfect and holy through our walk with Him. We are considered perfect, even though we have a long way to go. As we let God work in us, He perfects us. Instead of measuring perfection by worldly standard, we should seek to obey God, looking forward to the day when he will finally make us perfect for life with Him in our perfect eternal home.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better. If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary. J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible. Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

Hebrews 9, Two Tabernacles

 

Hebrews 9, Two Tabernacles

 

There was a tabernacle on earth that did not settle the sin question. The tabernacle in heaven consists of a greater High Priest who is our intercessor for us. God always listens to His prayers. We can come to Jesus through prayer. We no longer must enter an earthly temple to say our prayers. We don’t eat manna because we are fed by His Word (the Bible). Aaron’s rod speaks of Christ’s death and resurrection because it was a dead rod, and it came to life. The tables of the covenant represent Jesus Christ fulfilling the old law.

In Moses’ day, the priest went in the temple every day and did the same thing every day. A very monotonous ritual. Jesus went only once into the Holy Place.

When we accomplish the worship of God it is not just a church service where an order of service is followed. Real worship draws us into the presence of God where we can adore Him. He is worthy of our praise and adoration.

The earthly tabernacle did not draw the people in, only the Priest could enter the Holy of Holies. Our High Priest has gone into the presence of God and has not come out. He will be coming to take us back with Him.

Christ becomes real in our hearts. We don’t need to go to a tabernacle to worship Jesus. You can worship Him in your bedroom, dining room, in the car. No matter where you are you can worship Him. We need to point our hearts in praise to His Holy name.

We should be happy that Christ is coming back for us. Christ is the only one that can bring us to God. John 14:6 says, “No one comes to the Father, except by Me.” Once we are in the presence of God, there will be no more problem in serving Him. (Eph. 5:18).

Christ died for us to purge our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Dead works is anything we try to do to earn salvation. Serving God is not what we do but how we worship God from the heart.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better. If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary. J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible. Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

Hebrews 8- New Covenant

 

Hebrews 8 – New Covenant

 

There is not a High Priest in the line of Aaron that had a chair to sit on in the tabernacle. That’s because they were too busy with work and sacrifices. Since Christ died, all has been fulfilled and we don’t have to wonder if we do enough to earn salvation. All we need to do is turn to Jesus Christ and trust Him as our Savior. He sat down at the right hand of God because He finished our redemption.

It is possible that when God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle, He gave him a pattern of the original in heaven. He was very detailed in His instructions to Moses. We worship God when we pray, when we study His Word, and when we walk in obedience to Him. God made His throne a throne of grace and invites us to come to Him with confidence and assurance that He is there. We need to come to Him with faith. Without faith it is impossible to please Him.

The New Covenant He mentions is the New Testament. The Old Testament was Moses’ law. The New Testament is a better covenant, better promises that will be fulfilled in the future. Since the Old Covenant was not faultless it was necessary for a better covenant. There was nothing wrong with God’s law but with the people who could not keep God’s laws. The New Covenant will be written in our hearts not on stone tablets so we will be able to obey it. There will be forgiveness of sin. There will be a complete pardon.

We have a new covenant based on better promises. God has given us the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ as our intercessor and is in heaven to help us.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible. J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible

Hebrews 7, A Picture of Christ

 

Hebrews 7, A Picture of Christ

Melchizedek is a type of Christ. He is called the King of Salem, priest of the Highest God.

Back in the Old Testament Aaron was the High Priest and they had a tabernacle. Today our High Priest is at God’s right hand.

In Genesis 14:18 it says, “Melchizedek brought forth the bread and wine and was the High Priest of the Most High God.” This was after Abraham rescued Lot from being taken into captivity. Melchizedek was a king of peace and righteousness. Jesus is righteousness. He is our most High Priest.

Melchizedek was a picture of Christ who has no beginning and no end. Christ encompasses all of time and all of eternity.

You and I live in a universe that belongs to God. He owns it and has loaned all things to us. Whether it be a sunset or a sunrise or a hug and a smile from a friend. God did this for us. In return we give our tithes back to Him. A tithe is a gift. Every gift should be more than a gift to the church or to a ministry. It should be a gift to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not talking about money, but a gift of giving ourselves to God. He accepts us and dwells within us.

Christ became the High Priest of the earth when He resurrected from the dead. The Mosaic law went out of style. It never gave mankind the goal of perfection. We come to God through Christ. He is a perfect Priest. We are no longer joined to Adam but to the living Christ. Christ died for our sins but is now alive and is always here for us. He lives up there to keep saving us to completion and perfection. He is Jesus Christ, the righteous. Everything He does is right. We are saved by His life. He is just right for us. We couldn’t have a better person in our life.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary. J Vernon McGee Thru the Bible

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

 

Hebrews 5 & 6, Christ's Obedience

 

Hebrews 5, Christ’s Obedience

Jesus demonstrated obedience even through suffering by undergoing a painful execution to obey His Father’s plan. He knows what it means to obey God amid trying circumstances. Christ’s Obedience is comforting because He knows and shares in our sorrows. Believers are called to obedience too. At times, we too will be called on to learn real obedience through suffering, and at those times, we can turn to Jesus, because He knows exactly how to help us.

 

Hebrews 6, Reaching Maturity and Perfection.

During this time, the Hebrew Christians were facing persecution, and some were in danger of falling back to Judaism so that they won’t be killed. The Hebrews were encouraged to give up their old ways and strive for maturity. Their dead works were the works of Moses’ law which they continuously broke and repented. Their faith toward God were practiced in the temple with their sacrifices. The laying on of hands were on the animals that they sacrificed. The Baptism was of John the Baptist and not of Christ. When they became Christians they were to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. Judaism was a form of religion that they needed to lay aside to become Christ-like.

Once we become Christians and have laid aside our past, our zeal for Christ should be so strong that we have no need to turn back. It’s like learning a new technique on a job we have been doing for some time. Once we learn the new technique we see it is much better than the old way, so we see no need to go back to the way it was. Once we receive Christ, we receive blessings that we wouldn’t have otherwise. We want to go forward and build a better relationship with Him. Just to say we believe in Christ will not lead us to Salvation. It is our faith and trust in Christ that builds that relationship with Him so that we will receive confidence and hope that we will have eternal salvation through Jesus Christ.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible, J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible

Hebrews 4, Hidden Strength

 

Hebrews 4, Hidden Strength

 

An amazing fact of the Christian faith is that the infinite God became a finite human being. Although without sin, Jesus Christ as a man experienced the weaknesses, temptations, pain and difficulties of human existence. Thus, we have a Savior who can sympathize with our weaknesses. He understands temptation, because he faced it. He understands weakness, because He experienced it. He understands pain, because He felt it.

People who live with chronic or acute physical or emotional pain have a Savior who truly understands. Far from sitting in the heavens simply feeling sorry for the sick and sinful humanity, He clothed Himself with our humanness. When we come to Christ with our hurts, He reaches out with His arms, truly understanding how we feel. He can help us. Christ does not always take away pain, but He does tell us to bring it to Him. Whatever our pain or difficulty, we are encouraged to “come boldly to the throne of grace,” that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Many people try to hide their weaknesses and failures. God knows all our weaknesses, and He sympathizes with them. Even more, He offers mercy and grace to help us. Christ understands because as a human being He experienced the challenges and temptations we face, “yet without sin.” He knows that we are weak and need Him. He wants to give us the strength to endure our weaknesses and confront our temptations.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better. If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary. Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible, J. Vernon McGee

Through the Bible.