Hebrews Chapters 8, 9, 10
8: 1-2 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum:
Here is the whole basis for our faith and life as a Christian.
We have such a High Priest who is set on the right hand of the Majesty in the Heavens;
The Minister of Holy Things in the true Tabernacle which the Lord built, not man.
Jesus has finished all the requirements, all the work, to open the way to God and to make us fit to be qualified as His children to approach Him openly, boldly and confidently, to curl up in His lap as His child!
8: 7-10 For if the first covenant had been faultless, then there would no place have been found for the second.
For finding fault with them, God said, "Behold the days come when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah:
"Not like the covenant I made with their fathers ...
"This is the covenant I will make with them after those days: I will put my Laws into their mind, and write them on their hearts, and they shall be to me a people."
The first Covenant was deficient. It wasn't able to make the people consistent in following Him and obeying His Commandments.
9: 13-14 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean could sanctify to the cleansing of the flesh;
How much more shall the Blood of Christ, who offered Himself through the eternal Spirit without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
The animal sacrifices could only cover the sins of the people, so God could forgive them. But they couldn't wash away their sins, so they couldn't go to Heaven. They went to Sheol, the Place of the Dead. Jesus described this Place as having two sides, one He called Abraham's Bosom, or Paradise, and the other side filled with a burning fire. This is where everyone went when they died, before Jesus died.
9: 15 Because of this He is the Mediator ...
Because He was the Lamb of God whose Blood has infinite value to wash away all sin and imperfection and fault in the whole Universe, without limit. That's what makes Him the only Mediator between God and Mankind.
9: 16-18 A "last will and testament" only takes force at the death of the testator.
Even the first testament required blood, the death of animals.
When a man files a "last will and testament," its terms never take effect until he dies. This is the character of this kind of document. This is the agreement, the Covenant, that God makes with Mankind.
When He instituted His Covenant with Abraham, He didn't walk with Abraham between the carcases of the animals laid out, as the custom was, to confer responsibility on the participants of the contract; He put him to sleep, to show that God alone was responsible for carrying out the terms of the agreement (Genesis 15:1-21), the first part of which was giving Abraham a son by Sarah. But it also included the future history of the future Nation of Israel to return to the Promised Land.
When He gave Moses the Law on Sinai, He was giving him the rules the people were to live by in this Land they were about to return to. Now the people also had a responsibility to live up to.
9: 19-23 So Moses purified the Book, and the people, and all the furniture of the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle itself, because without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.
So it was necessary that the replicas of things in the Heavens should be purified with these, but the Heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Because the people were not able to be consistent in obeying all the statutes and precepts of the Law, they needed to be cleansed repeatedly. So they needed all the priests to offer all the sacrifices every day, over and over, like taking a bath after working in the dirt all day.
But:
9: 25-28 Jesus did not have to offer Himself over and over, as the Old Testament priests did every day, and the High Priest did every year. He came now, near the end of the World, one time only, to pay the debt of sin in full by His Sacrifice.
For it is appointed unto Mankind to die once, and then be judged;
So Christ was once offered to bear the sin of many; and to the ones who are looking for Him, He is coming a second time without sin unto Salvation.
Because we only die once, Jesus died once, and when He comes again He won't have to deal with that sin problem any more, He finished it. Now when He comes again, it will be as the King of the Earth, to set up His Kingdom here in our World; and He will finish our Redemption, by giving us our Resurrection bodies, changing our mortal bodies into spiritual bodies.
10: 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
As he said before, bulls, goats, and other animals cannot take away sins, only cover them. Like paying the interest on the debt. Jesus paid off the principal, the whole debt, in full.
10: 9-14 He takes away the first to establish the second.
By the Father's will that Jesus obeyed, we are sanctified through Christ offering His body once for all.
As every priest stands very day ministering and offering the same sacrifice for sins over and over, that can never take away sins.
But this Man, after He had offered one Sacrifice forever, sat down on the right hand of God, expecting to make His enemies His footstool.
Because by the one offering He has made perfect all that are sanctified by it.
Jesus said He did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it: the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. (See Matthew 5:17 and Luke 24:44-45.)
10: 15-22 And we know this by the Holy Spirit who witnesses it to us,
That the New Covenant is that God writes His Laws on our hearts, now that we have been cleansed by His blood. This gives us confidence and boldness to directly approach the Throne of God, not having any barrier between us.
Jesus' flesh is the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. That's why the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom when Jesus died.
And we have our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, our feelings and emotions cleansed from all the deceptions we formerly believed, and our bodies washed with pure water, the water of the Word of God washing through our minds, cleaning away all the wrong ideas we formerly had that were according to the World's ways.
10: 23-25 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering (for He is faithful who promised):
Don't let go of God, He won't let go of you.
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works;
"To provoke" means "to incite or stimulate a person to action." We need to encourage each other in our walk with the Lord.
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is;
Don't neglect Sunday services, the one time when we all get together.
but exhorting one another.
Why we get together regularly, to help one another; not to satisfy our own spiritual hunger or needs.
And so much the more as we see the Day approaching.
Do we realize how soon Jesus is likely to come back? It could be any day now, He's right "at the door"!
10: 26-31 If we sin wilfully after supposedly having been saved, then there remains no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Because he has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the Blood of the Covenant with which he was [supposed to have been] sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite to the Spirit of Grace!
For we know that He has said, "Vengeance belongs to Me, I will recompense" (Deuteronomy 32:35), and again, "The Lord shall judge His people" (Deuteronomy 32:36).
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Jesus died once, there's no second sacrifice. If you turn away from God in living your former life again, if you are His, God won't let you get very far--He will either draw you back to Himself or take you out of His way.
II Peter 4: 17 says that The time has come that judgment must begin at the House of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God?
So it is a fearful thing to fall into His hands if we're running from Him.
10: 32-39 He's telling them to not forget when they were persecuted, and stood with those who were persecuted, and didn't complain when their property was confiscated. So don't throw it all away now. Don't quit before Payday!
Have patience through it all, maintaining your confidence that it will all pay off in the end, and you will receive great rewards.
If we're following Him in obedience, then He will give us rewards: Romans 4:10
tells us about the Judgment Seat for Rewards for Christians; it's the
Bema seat, comparable to the judges at the Olympic Games. We all will
win, but some will win more than others, and some will realize a loss of
rewards, too.
God won't wait forever to send Jesus back, and He won't be late.
The just shall live by faith: but if anyone draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
God has given us His own Holy Spirit to live inside us, in our spirits. He will strengthen us and give us the courage and boldness to continue in His footsteps, and not pull away or draw back away from Him.
But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition: but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Here is the encouragement of confidence in the faith of the receivers of this letter.
O my Father, help me to have the confidence and optimism of the writer of this Epistle. He must have had doubts about some of these Hebrew Christians, but he always returned to the encouragement that they really did trust You fully to lean on You in their hard times.
O Father, please strengthen all of Your children to stand strong in the face of opposition and persecution. Keep us all as positive as this writer, even while pointing out the errors of our accusers.
Shine out Your Light from us as Your vessels, which You have cleansed and made into lamps, vessels of honor, out of the clay pots of dishonor we were.
Keep us strong in Your Word, clear in Your Truth, and compassionate in Your Love. Help us to love our enemies into Your Kingdom, Father; and to grow Your Kingdom with all of the resources You have given us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, July 5, 2019
Thursday, July 4, 2019
Melchizedek And Jesus
Hebrews 7
All about Melchizedek:
Verses 1-4: How his name meant "King of Righteousness," and he was King of Salem, or Peace; with no genealogy or birth or death records. And Abraham gave him a tenth of all the spoils from the battle of the four kings against five kings (in Genesis 14).
5-10: About how even Levi, which tribe the Law said to pay tithes to, paid tithes to him, being still in sperm-form in Abraham's body (and wouldn't be born for three more generations!) This is how great Melchizedek was.
11-19: Now if a priesthood that came about by a Law could be sufficient, then why would another priesthood be needed?
And when the priesthood changed, then the law that determined it would also have to be changed. No one from the Tribe of Judah was eligible to be a priest, only the Tribe of Levi.
But Jesus wasn't of Levi, His legal father and mother were both from Judah. So that Law wouldn't apply to Him. His Priesthood is according to a higher order than the Law of Moses, because, the Law made nothing perfect.
Melchizedek, has become [a priest] not on the basis of a Law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.
And, it is attested of [Jesus], "You are a Priest forever according to the Order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4), a higher Order, to give us a better hope, by which we actually can approach God directly and curl up in His lap as His child.
20-25: There needed to be a lot of Old Testament priests, because they would grow old and die, but Jesus lives forever, so His priesthood is permanent. So He saves permanently everyone who draws near to God, as He lives to make intercession for us continually.
26-28: We needed a High Priest who is, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the Heavens who does not need to offer multiple sacrifices, because Jesus did this once for all when He offered up Himself.
Jesus was appointed our High Priest after the Law was completed, when the New Covenant overtook the Old.
We no longer need multiple priests offering multiple sacrifices day by day; we have our perfect High Priest, who Sacrificed Himself once for all, and is still ministering on our behalf as our High Priest, and He will forever.
O my Father, thank You for sending Your own Son to be our Sacrifice as the Lamb of God, then to also become our High Priest to present His Blood in the real, Heavenly Holiest Place, to atone forever and permanently for our sins and our sinfulness.
Thank You that we no longer need to repeat anything that He finished for us. I only need to work out the Salvation that You worked in me when You applied the Blood of Jesus to my fallen state. When You lifted me up out of the mire and put my feet on the Rock.
Father, continue to hold my hand securely, so that I will not be able to pull out of Your grasp, as You have promised me You would do. You will never let go of me, or let me go. Thank You.
Lead me, Father, where I am walking straight along that narrow path hedged in, that You had me enter through that Narrow Gate the day You showed me that Jesus took my death on the Cross.
Keep the ears of my heart attentive to Your still, quiet voice behind me saying, "walk here" whenever I make any decision or choice as to what to do or how to do it. Teach me to do all the tasks to accomplish the work You planned ahead for me to do, toward the promotion of Your Kingdom; that Your will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven.
And every eye shall see, every knee shall bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus, Your Son, is our Lord God Almighty, our Sovereign King of the Universe, to the Glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
All about Melchizedek:
Verses 1-4: How his name meant "King of Righteousness," and he was King of Salem, or Peace; with no genealogy or birth or death records. And Abraham gave him a tenth of all the spoils from the battle of the four kings against five kings (in Genesis 14).
5-10: About how even Levi, which tribe the Law said to pay tithes to, paid tithes to him, being still in sperm-form in Abraham's body (and wouldn't be born for three more generations!) This is how great Melchizedek was.
11-19: Now if a priesthood that came about by a Law could be sufficient, then why would another priesthood be needed?
And when the priesthood changed, then the law that determined it would also have to be changed. No one from the Tribe of Judah was eligible to be a priest, only the Tribe of Levi.
But Jesus wasn't of Levi, His legal father and mother were both from Judah. So that Law wouldn't apply to Him. His Priesthood is according to a higher order than the Law of Moses, because, the Law made nothing perfect.
Melchizedek, has become [a priest] not on the basis of a Law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.
And, it is attested of [Jesus], "You are a Priest forever according to the Order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4), a higher Order, to give us a better hope, by which we actually can approach God directly and curl up in His lap as His child.
20-25: There needed to be a lot of Old Testament priests, because they would grow old and die, but Jesus lives forever, so His priesthood is permanent. So He saves permanently everyone who draws near to God, as He lives to make intercession for us continually.
26-28: We needed a High Priest who is, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the Heavens who does not need to offer multiple sacrifices, because Jesus did this once for all when He offered up Himself.
Jesus was appointed our High Priest after the Law was completed, when the New Covenant overtook the Old.
We no longer need multiple priests offering multiple sacrifices day by day; we have our perfect High Priest, who Sacrificed Himself once for all, and is still ministering on our behalf as our High Priest, and He will forever.
O my Father, thank You for sending Your own Son to be our Sacrifice as the Lamb of God, then to also become our High Priest to present His Blood in the real, Heavenly Holiest Place, to atone forever and permanently for our sins and our sinfulness.
Thank You that we no longer need to repeat anything that He finished for us. I only need to work out the Salvation that You worked in me when You applied the Blood of Jesus to my fallen state. When You lifted me up out of the mire and put my feet on the Rock.
Father, continue to hold my hand securely, so that I will not be able to pull out of Your grasp, as You have promised me You would do. You will never let go of me, or let me go. Thank You.
Lead me, Father, where I am walking straight along that narrow path hedged in, that You had me enter through that Narrow Gate the day You showed me that Jesus took my death on the Cross.
Keep the ears of my heart attentive to Your still, quiet voice behind me saying, "walk here" whenever I make any decision or choice as to what to do or how to do it. Teach me to do all the tasks to accomplish the work You planned ahead for me to do, toward the promotion of Your Kingdom; that Your will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven.
And every eye shall see, every knee shall bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus, Your Son, is our Lord God Almighty, our Sovereign King of the Universe, to the Glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Are We Really Saved?
Hebrews Chapter 6
Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation
The writer is saying that he doesn't want to re-hash all the first things that a new Christian should know.
These things are:
of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
Realizing that everything we do in our flesh is not acceptable to God, being tainted by sin, and putting our full faith in God's sending His Son to have done all the work by being our personal Sacrifice to wash away our sins. He did all the work.
of the doctrine of baptisms and laying on of hands,
Baptisms refers to ceremonial washings, as well as the Baptism we are instructed to submit to as a picture of having died with Jesus and being buried with Him under the water, then rising to live a new lifestyle.
And the laying on of hands refers to the elders conferring spiritual gifts on the new believer. These are both Jewish customs, as this letter is to Hebrew Christians.
and of the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
The teachings of all of these are what new Christians should know as the first things they learn to understand and practice, as baby Christians.
And this we will do, if God permits.
Now the writer wants to get into more of the solid food of the Word.
But he wants to make sure that these Christians understand fully this framework upon which to build their lives and before he goes on to deeper teachings.
Because:
For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the Heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the age to come,
To apparently be saved, to show forth the appearance of having become a Christian.
and then have fallen away,
Then to leave it all to go back to the World's ways and thinking processes.
it is impossible to renew them again to repentance,
since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.
If it would be possible for someone to really be born into God's family by the Holy Spirit coming into his spirit to make it alive, to then become "unborn" again, returning to his past life; then it would take Jesus coming back to die again on the Cross to be able to save him again.
There are some who claim to be Christians who do this: their worship service requires a cross with an image of Jesus still on it, and they re-create His crucifixion. Because they believe that we must do good works to "earn" God's grace to save them again. And again. And again.
For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God;
but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned up.
The same water that nourishes the soil will bring up both food and weeds. The food is the spiritual nourishment for the children of God. But the weeds show that tares have been growing with the wheat, and their end is to be cast into the eternal fires.
But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany Salvation, though we are speaking this way.
This writer believes he is writing to true Christians, who have that relationship with God that He sent His Son for us to have, and not just nominal christians who only have a religion.
For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,
so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
He is saying that all appearances show that these people are true Christians, and that if they continue to do all the kinds of works and ministries they are doing, that will show that they have God's Spirit in them, enabling them to continue living this new lifestyle of service until the end, the same as those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you."
And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.
Abraham trusted God to be faithful to His Word, through many years, until he finally had the son God promised to him.
For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.
When someone makes a legal contract, they invoke the powers of the government to hold them responsible to the terms of the agreement, having given the government the authority to do so.
In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,
so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.
God promised with an oath to give, if possible, even more weight to His faithfulness to accomplish what He said He would do. So we have strong encouragement to hang on to our faith no matter how long it takes or what we will need to face.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast
This is where we get this image of Hope being an anchor. The World's idea of hope is a wish, but the hope we have in God is knowing the certainty of what we just don't see yet.
and one which enters within the veil,
This is the door into the holiest of holies, in the Temple of God in Heaven.
Where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a High Priest forever according to the Order of Melchizedek.
And he goes back to this again, to tie together this whole section of his letter.
This High Priesthood of Christ is the linchpin to all the parts of Salvation and Redemption. We really need to get a grasp on how this all works out.
O my Father God, please help us as Your children to understand how much You Love us, and planned out this whole Opera! We are still here, acting out our parts, trying to perform on cue, struggling through all the directions and lines, interacting with one another as fellow actors in Your Story of Mankind.
As our Director and Producer, help us with all the parts of our performances, to be authentic and true to Your Truth, humble and submitting to one another, so they can also perform their roles.
Thank You for casting Your Son Jesus in the Starring Role. This script is all about Him and His heroism, rescuing us all out of the clutches of the dastardly villain and our own inbred waywardness.
And You have told us the End of the Story already, as You have written it, and are directing us all as we make our choices.
You are so wise and clever and smart and powerful that You have determined that all of our "free will" decisions only progress Your story along! Just as You have written it.
And at the final bow, You will receive all the accolades and every award! Every item in the Credits as they roll will name Your Name as the One who has filled every position and every part. Wonderfully and Beautifully and Entertainingly!
And every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. And Father, You receive all the glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation
The writer is saying that he doesn't want to re-hash all the first things that a new Christian should know.
These things are:
of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
Realizing that everything we do in our flesh is not acceptable to God, being tainted by sin, and putting our full faith in God's sending His Son to have done all the work by being our personal Sacrifice to wash away our sins. He did all the work.
of the doctrine of baptisms and laying on of hands,
Baptisms refers to ceremonial washings, as well as the Baptism we are instructed to submit to as a picture of having died with Jesus and being buried with Him under the water, then rising to live a new lifestyle.
And the laying on of hands refers to the elders conferring spiritual gifts on the new believer. These are both Jewish customs, as this letter is to Hebrew Christians.
and of the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
The teachings of all of these are what new Christians should know as the first things they learn to understand and practice, as baby Christians.
And this we will do, if God permits.
Now the writer wants to get into more of the solid food of the Word.
But he wants to make sure that these Christians understand fully this framework upon which to build their lives and before he goes on to deeper teachings.
Because:
For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the Heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the age to come,
To apparently be saved, to show forth the appearance of having become a Christian.
and then have fallen away,
Then to leave it all to go back to the World's ways and thinking processes.
it is impossible to renew them again to repentance,
since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.
If it would be possible for someone to really be born into God's family by the Holy Spirit coming into his spirit to make it alive, to then become "unborn" again, returning to his past life; then it would take Jesus coming back to die again on the Cross to be able to save him again.
There are some who claim to be Christians who do this: their worship service requires a cross with an image of Jesus still on it, and they re-create His crucifixion. Because they believe that we must do good works to "earn" God's grace to save them again. And again. And again.
For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God;
but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned up.
The same water that nourishes the soil will bring up both food and weeds. The food is the spiritual nourishment for the children of God. But the weeds show that tares have been growing with the wheat, and their end is to be cast into the eternal fires.
But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany Salvation, though we are speaking this way.
This writer believes he is writing to true Christians, who have that relationship with God that He sent His Son for us to have, and not just nominal christians who only have a religion.
For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,
so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
He is saying that all appearances show that these people are true Christians, and that if they continue to do all the kinds of works and ministries they are doing, that will show that they have God's Spirit in them, enabling them to continue living this new lifestyle of service until the end, the same as those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you."
And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.
Abraham trusted God to be faithful to His Word, through many years, until he finally had the son God promised to him.
For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.
When someone makes a legal contract, they invoke the powers of the government to hold them responsible to the terms of the agreement, having given the government the authority to do so.
In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,
so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.
God promised with an oath to give, if possible, even more weight to His faithfulness to accomplish what He said He would do. So we have strong encouragement to hang on to our faith no matter how long it takes or what we will need to face.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast
This is where we get this image of Hope being an anchor. The World's idea of hope is a wish, but the hope we have in God is knowing the certainty of what we just don't see yet.
and one which enters within the veil,
This is the door into the holiest of holies, in the Temple of God in Heaven.
Where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a High Priest forever according to the Order of Melchizedek.
And he goes back to this again, to tie together this whole section of his letter.
This High Priesthood of Christ is the linchpin to all the parts of Salvation and Redemption. We really need to get a grasp on how this all works out.
O my Father God, please help us as Your children to understand how much You Love us, and planned out this whole Opera! We are still here, acting out our parts, trying to perform on cue, struggling through all the directions and lines, interacting with one another as fellow actors in Your Story of Mankind.
As our Director and Producer, help us with all the parts of our performances, to be authentic and true to Your Truth, humble and submitting to one another, so they can also perform their roles.
Thank You for casting Your Son Jesus in the Starring Role. This script is all about Him and His heroism, rescuing us all out of the clutches of the dastardly villain and our own inbred waywardness.
And You have told us the End of the Story already, as You have written it, and are directing us all as we make our choices.
You are so wise and clever and smart and powerful that You have determined that all of our "free will" decisions only progress Your story along! Just as You have written it.
And at the final bow, You will receive all the accolades and every award! Every item in the Credits as they roll will name Your Name as the One who has filled every position and every part. Wonderfully and Beautifully and Entertainingly!
And every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. And Father, You receive all the glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Jesus, Our Eternal High Priest
Hebrews 5: 1-10
For every High Priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;
All the High Priests in the Old Testament were appointed to be High Priests, and only if they had been born into the priestly family line of Aaron. No one decided for himself if he would be a priest or a high priest.
And they were appointed to be the go-between for the people who were giving gifts to God or offering sacrifices to cover their sins.
He can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weaknesses;
These priests can sympathize with the people because they also are sinners living in their flesh bodies.
And because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself.
Because they are also sinners, they were required to offer sacrifices for themselves first, then offer the sacrifices for the people. But only the priests were authorized to bring the sacrifices to God, no one else.
And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.
And none of these priests decided for themselves that they would be priests at all, they were born into this position, and it was God who appointed the High Priest from among them. Just like God told Moses that Aaron would be the priest, Aaron didn't ask for it.
So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a High Priest, but He who said to Him, "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You" (Psalm 2:7);
When Jesus came to be our Christ, He did not decide for Himself that He would also be our High Priest, this was determined by His Father.
In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.
While Jesus was living in His flesh body, in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed earnestly to His Father, who alone could have delivered Him (Matthew 26:39-44; Mark 14:35-39). But He knew that this was the only way we would be able to live with Him forever, so He submitted to the Father's plan.
Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
Even though Jesus was God's only-begotten Son, and the Lord God Almighty, He still needed to learn as a Man to be obedient to His Father. This is incredible. If even Jesus had to learn to obey, how much more do we need to learn!
And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal Salvation,
Jesus was never deficient in anything at any time, but as a human being like us, He had to grow up and mature from infancy through childhood to adulthood, learning everything we all need to learn along the way, as we mature. So His being made "perfect" means that He matured properly, learning all the lessons He needed to learn as a human.
Now He is equipped to be the Source of our Redemption, to buy us out of the slave-market of sin and give us freedom.
Being designated by God as a High Priest according to the Order of Melchizedek.
Because His priesthood is according to the Eternal Order, called the Order of Melchizedek, He will never outlive His authority to save us.
O my Father, You have thought of and planned out every detail of how You would work out everything, and it all fits together so perfectly. And You have been doing everything You wanted to do, and You have even told us the whole progress!
Father, I love you! You have Loved me so much, to choose me, to rescue me, to teach me, to lead me, to work Your miracles in me so often! O Father You are the Best!
And every knee will bow to You! And every tongue will proclaim in every language, earthly and heavenly and from below, that Jesus of Nazareth is our High Priest and Christ and Redeemer, the Lord God of the Universe and our Sovereign King, to the glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
For every High Priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;
All the High Priests in the Old Testament were appointed to be High Priests, and only if they had been born into the priestly family line of Aaron. No one decided for himself if he would be a priest or a high priest.
And they were appointed to be the go-between for the people who were giving gifts to God or offering sacrifices to cover their sins.
He can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weaknesses;
These priests can sympathize with the people because they also are sinners living in their flesh bodies.
And because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself.
Because they are also sinners, they were required to offer sacrifices for themselves first, then offer the sacrifices for the people. But only the priests were authorized to bring the sacrifices to God, no one else.
And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.
And none of these priests decided for themselves that they would be priests at all, they were born into this position, and it was God who appointed the High Priest from among them. Just like God told Moses that Aaron would be the priest, Aaron didn't ask for it.
So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a High Priest, but He who said to Him, "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You" (Psalm 2:7);
When Jesus came to be our Christ, He did not decide for Himself that He would also be our High Priest, this was determined by His Father.
Just as He says in another passage, "You are a Priest forever according to the Order of Melchizedek " (Psalm 110:4).God also had the Psalmist make this declaration, that it was the Father appointing the Son as High Priest, not in the Order of Aaron, but the Order of Melchizedek, the Old Testament Priest of Salem who has no genealogy recorded anywhere, no birth or death records at all (Genesis 14:18-20). So this Order of Priesthood technically has no beginning or end, it is eternal.
In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.
While Jesus was living in His flesh body, in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed earnestly to His Father, who alone could have delivered Him (Matthew 26:39-44; Mark 14:35-39). But He knew that this was the only way we would be able to live with Him forever, so He submitted to the Father's plan.
Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
Even though Jesus was God's only-begotten Son, and the Lord God Almighty, He still needed to learn as a Man to be obedient to His Father. This is incredible. If even Jesus had to learn to obey, how much more do we need to learn!
And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal Salvation,
Jesus was never deficient in anything at any time, but as a human being like us, He had to grow up and mature from infancy through childhood to adulthood, learning everything we all need to learn along the way, as we mature. So His being made "perfect" means that He matured properly, learning all the lessons He needed to learn as a human.
Now He is equipped to be the Source of our Redemption, to buy us out of the slave-market of sin and give us freedom.
Being designated by God as a High Priest according to the Order of Melchizedek.
Because His priesthood is according to the Eternal Order, called the Order of Melchizedek, He will never outlive His authority to save us.
O my Father, You have thought of and planned out every detail of how You would work out everything, and it all fits together so perfectly. And You have been doing everything You wanted to do, and You have even told us the whole progress!
Father, I love you! You have Loved me so much, to choose me, to rescue me, to teach me, to lead me, to work Your miracles in me so often! O Father You are the Best!
And every knee will bow to You! And every tongue will proclaim in every language, earthly and heavenly and from below, that Jesus of Nazareth is our High Priest and Christ and Redeemer, the Lord God of the Universe and our Sovereign King, to the glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, July 1, 2019
The Rest God Gives
Hebrews 4: 1-16
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
We need to be afraid, if we're letting a promise of rest to not be experienced by us.
For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
The same Good News was taught them, that the Sacrifice would take their sins away; but they didn't believe they deserved that death, so it had no effect for them. The faith they needed was to trust God to do what He said He would do for them.
For we who have believed do enter into rest, as He said,
although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Because everything that needed to be done to redeem us was determined before God created anything, so it is certain to happen, according to His Plan.
For He spoke in a certain place of the seventh day in this way:
And in this place again,
Again he quotes the same verse, showing that this rest is still available, since they did not believe God.
Again, He limits a certain day, saying through David, Today, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts (Psalm 95:7-8).
So long after the creation account, God has David write that "Today" is the day we need to pay attention to what God says, as "today" is the only time we have. The past is gone, and if we put it off for tomorrow, we'll never do it. Right now is the time to believe God. To put it off is to harden our heart.
For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.
There remains therefore a rest to the people of God.
Since the children of Israel never could bring themselves to really trust God, even after all the miracles He performed for them, they never did enter into the rest that was promised. And since God always keeps His promises, there is still a "rest" that He has reserved for His people.
For he who is entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His.
When a person has entered into rest, he's stopped doing all his work. When God finished Creation, He stopped. He hasn't created any more. And when we enter into the rest He has planned for us, then we won't be doing any more of the work we must apply ourselves to now in this World.
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
All right, he says we need to do work, but still believe. This is not working for salvation, this is doing the spiritual work in the power of the Holy Spirit that promotes God's righteousness in this World to bring His Kingdom.
For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
It looks like this dangerous weapon is not to be wielded wildly, but applied as a scalpel in our own hearts, to separate what is damaged or diseased from what is healthy, and what is in error from the Truth.
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
Nothing can be hidden from God. He sees each one of us all the way down to our molecules and the deep recesses of our subconscious thoughts. We will give account for every idle word (Matthew 12:36-37).
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, who is passed into the Heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
A prophet speaks to men for God, and the priest appeals to God for men. The High Priest brought the blood of the sacrifice into the Holy of Holies, where God sat upon the Mercy Seat between the Cherubim.
Our great High Priest, Jesus, presented His own Precious, Divine Blood into the very Holy of Holies in the Heavenly Temple, which was the Pattern God gave Moses for the Tabernacle. The Temple in Heaven itself, where God dwells. So it cannot be changed or corrupted.
This is why we need never let go of our hold on the Truth that has set us free, our testimony of what God has done for us.
For we have not a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted just as we are, yet without sin.
Just as I related yesterday from the last chapter:
This gives us the confidence to approach the Throne of God knowing that in His graciousness to us, He has put all the punishment we deserve for our sins and faults on Jesus, and we are cleansed by His Blood.
And we have access to the power of His Holy Spirit living in us to strengthen us in the very time we need to overcome temptation and turn from it.
O my Father, You are so good to us, to give us everything we need, and even to open the way for us to boldly approach Your own Throne for Your grace to help us when we need You. Your arms are always open to receive us, no matter where we are or what we've done or what we're facing.
Father, help me to turn to You when I find myself in the throes of temptation to do or say something that is not in alignment with Your plan for me. Teach me to turn to You in the power of Your Spirit in me and rely on Your guidance of every step I take each moment of every day.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
We need to be afraid, if we're letting a promise of rest to not be experienced by us.
For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
The same Good News was taught them, that the Sacrifice would take their sins away; but they didn't believe they deserved that death, so it had no effect for them. The faith they needed was to trust God to do what He said He would do for them.
For we who have believed do enter into rest, as He said,
As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into My rest (Psalm 95:11):We who have trusted Jesus to be our Sacrifice, have entered into God's family and will experience that rest that He promised.
although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Because everything that needed to be done to redeem us was determined before God created anything, so it is certain to happen, according to His Plan.
For He spoke in a certain place of the seventh day in this way:
And God did rest the seventh day from all His works (Genesis 2:2).This is the basis for the Sabbath, when we are to rest from our regular work and take a break. Jesus said this was for our benefit, to break up our work week with a day off so we could be fresh for another week (Mark 2:27).
And in this place again,
If they shall enter into My rest (Psalm 95:11).Seeing therefore it remains that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached did not enter because of unbelief:
Again he quotes the same verse, showing that this rest is still available, since they did not believe God.
Again, He limits a certain day, saying through David, Today, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts (Psalm 95:7-8).
So long after the creation account, God has David write that "Today" is the day we need to pay attention to what God says, as "today" is the only time we have. The past is gone, and if we put it off for tomorrow, we'll never do it. Right now is the time to believe God. To put it off is to harden our heart.
For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.
There remains therefore a rest to the people of God.
Since the children of Israel never could bring themselves to really trust God, even after all the miracles He performed for them, they never did enter into the rest that was promised. And since God always keeps His promises, there is still a "rest" that He has reserved for His people.
For he who is entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His.
When a person has entered into rest, he's stopped doing all his work. When God finished Creation, He stopped. He hasn't created any more. And when we enter into the rest He has planned for us, then we won't be doing any more of the work we must apply ourselves to now in this World.
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
All right, he says we need to do work, but still believe. This is not working for salvation, this is doing the spiritual work in the power of the Holy Spirit that promotes God's righteousness in this World to bring His Kingdom.
For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
It looks like this dangerous weapon is not to be wielded wildly, but applied as a scalpel in our own hearts, to separate what is damaged or diseased from what is healthy, and what is in error from the Truth.
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
Nothing can be hidden from God. He sees each one of us all the way down to our molecules and the deep recesses of our subconscious thoughts. We will give account for every idle word (Matthew 12:36-37).
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, who is passed into the Heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
A prophet speaks to men for God, and the priest appeals to God for men. The High Priest brought the blood of the sacrifice into the Holy of Holies, where God sat upon the Mercy Seat between the Cherubim.
Our great High Priest, Jesus, presented His own Precious, Divine Blood into the very Holy of Holies in the Heavenly Temple, which was the Pattern God gave Moses for the Tabernacle. The Temple in Heaven itself, where God dwells. So it cannot be changed or corrupted.
This is why we need never let go of our hold on the Truth that has set us free, our testimony of what God has done for us.
For we have not a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted just as we are, yet without sin.
Just as I related yesterday from the last chapter:
Jesus faced tremendous temptations. In His flesh, He was just as vulnerable to temptation as all the rest of us are. The difference is, He never sinned. I have found several places in the Gospels where Jesus was tempted so strongly that He responded passionately in response, in forcibly rejecting the temptation.Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
So He knows how hard it is for us, too, and He is fully able to help us through even the strongest temptations we also face.
This gives us the confidence to approach the Throne of God knowing that in His graciousness to us, He has put all the punishment we deserve for our sins and faults on Jesus, and we are cleansed by His Blood.
And we have access to the power of His Holy Spirit living in us to strengthen us in the very time we need to overcome temptation and turn from it.
O my Father, You are so good to us, to give us everything we need, and even to open the way for us to boldly approach Your own Throne for Your grace to help us when we need You. Your arms are always open to receive us, no matter where we are or what we've done or what we're facing.
Father, help me to turn to You when I find myself in the throes of temptation to do or say something that is not in alignment with Your plan for me. Teach me to turn to You in the power of Your Spirit in me and rely on Your guidance of every step I take each moment of every day.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, June 30, 2019
But We See Jesus
Hebrews 2: 9-18
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the Angels in order that He would suffer death, then be crowned with glory and honor, so that He might taste death for every one.
Jesus is our example, our model. He was made like us, a little lower than the Angels for a little while, so that He could suffer our death for us to Redeem us. Then He was crowned with glory and honor.
This is the order that must be followed. Suffering first, then exaltation.
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Author of their Salvation perfect through sufferings.
Jesus is the Creator, who made us for Himself, and through Him God has revealed what He is like. He had to become like us, so that He would be able to suffer and die, in order to be made perfect; so that He could regenerate many people to be His brothers and sisters.
For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father, for which He is not ashamed to call them His brothers,
God the Father is the Father of our Lord Jesus, and when we are born into His family He also becomes our Father. So Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters.
saying,
And again,
And again,
Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same,
Since we human beings, who are born into God's family as His children, are flesh and subject to death, so when the Son came to be our Savior, He also took upon Himself the same flesh and blood life that we have, being born of a human woman, Mary. So He would also be able to die.
that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
Jesus went through death in order to conquer death, and win the victory over the devil, who has the authority, the power, over death. So death has been conquered, but it has not yet been destroyed. It will be the last enemy to be destroyed (I Corinthians 15:26).
And might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
The fear of death is a primal fear that spurs us on to try to avoid it or deny it or ignore it. But as long as we're afraid to die, we are in the bondage of slavery to that fear. Jesus has conquered the god of death, the devil, and broken that stranglehold of fear that was on all of us. When we know that He took our death for us on the Cross, then we don't have to be afraid to die any more. Then we know that we are God's family, and He will take us into a Paradise or Heaven when this mortal life is finished. Nothing to fear there. His perfect Love dispels all the fear that used to scare us (I John 4:18).
For assuredly He did not take take upon Himself the nature of Angels, but He took on Himself the seed of Abraham.
When Jesus was born as Mary's Son, He had made sure that the bloodline was true. We have Mary's ancestral line all the way back to King David through his son Nathan, Solomon's brother. And David was twelve generations from Abraham.
And Mary's husband Joseph traced his line back to David, also, through Solomon and all the other kings of Judah, through the royal line.
But the last king of Judah, Jehoiakim, was so evil that God had Jeremiah pronounce that he would never have any blood descendants to sit on the throne of David (Jeremiah 36:30), so Joseph could not have been king.
However, Joseph was the legal father of Jesus, so Jesus had the blood-line through His mother, from whom He received the human nature, and was the legal Son of Joseph, of the royal line of kings of Judah.
Therefore, He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
So Jesus had to have a genuine human nature, to be able to die the human death that we all deserve, in order to be the Sacrifice to take away our sins as the Lamb of God (the Personal Sacrifice, Leviticus 1:1-13). Propitiation means the complete satisfaction, He paid the full price of the debt we owe for sin.
The High Priest brought the blood of the sacrifice into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled it on the Ark of the Covenant on the Day of Atonement, the most solemn of the six Feasts the Israelites were to celebrate each year (Leviticus 16:2-34).
So Jesus, as our High Priest, took His own precious Blood into the Heavenly Temple and sprinkled it on the Holiest of Holies itself.
For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
Jesus faced tremendous temptations. In His flesh, He was just as vulnerable to temptation as all the rest of us are. The difference is, He never sinned. I have found several places in the Gospels where Jesus was tempted so strongly that He responded passionately in response, in forcibly rejecting the temptation.
So He knows how hard it is for us, too, and He is fully able to help us through even the strongest temptations we also face.
O my Father, thank You so much for sending Your own Son to us. Thank You that He lived His life here as our example, to model our lives after. We all don't live the itinerant preacher life-style, but He did show us what our attitudes need to be toward whatever circumstance we face.
We can learn from Him how our thinking processes need to flow around every situation that comes up. Then our attitudes will align with His, and what we say and do will proceed from those right thinking and attitudes. And we will promote Your righteousness and Your Kingdom here in this World right now against the evil our enemy is surrounding us with.
O Father, You are so good to us. To every one of us, showering Your blessings upon each one of us every day. Father, remind Your children that You are Loving us every day. Open our eyes to see and recognize Your blessings each day, to praise Your graciousness and goodness and compassion that You lavish on us every day.
And Your Name will be praised, and Your character will be admired, and Your Person will be worshiped and adored.
And every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Christ and Messiah, the Lord God Almighty, our Sovereign King; to the glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the Angels in order that He would suffer death, then be crowned with glory and honor, so that He might taste death for every one.
Jesus is our example, our model. He was made like us, a little lower than the Angels for a little while, so that He could suffer our death for us to Redeem us. Then He was crowned with glory and honor.
This is the order that must be followed. Suffering first, then exaltation.
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Author of their Salvation perfect through sufferings.
Jesus is the Creator, who made us for Himself, and through Him God has revealed what He is like. He had to become like us, so that He would be able to suffer and die, in order to be made perfect; so that He could regenerate many people to be His brothers and sisters.
For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father, for which He is not ashamed to call them His brothers,
God the Father is the Father of our Lord Jesus, and when we are born into His family He also becomes our Father. So Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters.
saying,
I will proclaim Your Name to my brothers, in the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise (Psalm 22:22).Jesus will proclaim the Name of God to us, His brothers and sisters, and in the congregation of saints and Angels He will sing the Father's praise.
And again,
I will put my trust in Him (Psalm 18:2; Isaiah 12:2).Jesus knows He can trust the Father implicitly, and we can trust Jesus implicitly, with no reservation or hesitation.
And again,
Behold, I and the children whom God has given to me (Isaiah 8:18).The Lord God told Isaiah that we would be His children, His family members.
Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same,
Since we human beings, who are born into God's family as His children, are flesh and subject to death, so when the Son came to be our Savior, He also took upon Himself the same flesh and blood life that we have, being born of a human woman, Mary. So He would also be able to die.
that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
Jesus went through death in order to conquer death, and win the victory over the devil, who has the authority, the power, over death. So death has been conquered, but it has not yet been destroyed. It will be the last enemy to be destroyed (I Corinthians 15:26).
And might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
The fear of death is a primal fear that spurs us on to try to avoid it or deny it or ignore it. But as long as we're afraid to die, we are in the bondage of slavery to that fear. Jesus has conquered the god of death, the devil, and broken that stranglehold of fear that was on all of us. When we know that He took our death for us on the Cross, then we don't have to be afraid to die any more. Then we know that we are God's family, and He will take us into a Paradise or Heaven when this mortal life is finished. Nothing to fear there. His perfect Love dispels all the fear that used to scare us (I John 4:18).
For assuredly He did not take take upon Himself the nature of Angels, but He took on Himself the seed of Abraham.
When Jesus was born as Mary's Son, He had made sure that the bloodline was true. We have Mary's ancestral line all the way back to King David through his son Nathan, Solomon's brother. And David was twelve generations from Abraham.
And Mary's husband Joseph traced his line back to David, also, through Solomon and all the other kings of Judah, through the royal line.
But the last king of Judah, Jehoiakim, was so evil that God had Jeremiah pronounce that he would never have any blood descendants to sit on the throne of David (Jeremiah 36:30), so Joseph could not have been king.
However, Joseph was the legal father of Jesus, so Jesus had the blood-line through His mother, from whom He received the human nature, and was the legal Son of Joseph, of the royal line of kings of Judah.
Therefore, He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
So Jesus had to have a genuine human nature, to be able to die the human death that we all deserve, in order to be the Sacrifice to take away our sins as the Lamb of God (the Personal Sacrifice, Leviticus 1:1-13). Propitiation means the complete satisfaction, He paid the full price of the debt we owe for sin.
The High Priest brought the blood of the sacrifice into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled it on the Ark of the Covenant on the Day of Atonement, the most solemn of the six Feasts the Israelites were to celebrate each year (Leviticus 16:2-34).
So Jesus, as our High Priest, took His own precious Blood into the Heavenly Temple and sprinkled it on the Holiest of Holies itself.
For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
Jesus faced tremendous temptations. In His flesh, He was just as vulnerable to temptation as all the rest of us are. The difference is, He never sinned. I have found several places in the Gospels where Jesus was tempted so strongly that He responded passionately in response, in forcibly rejecting the temptation.
So He knows how hard it is for us, too, and He is fully able to help us through even the strongest temptations we also face.
O my Father, thank You so much for sending Your own Son to us. Thank You that He lived His life here as our example, to model our lives after. We all don't live the itinerant preacher life-style, but He did show us what our attitudes need to be toward whatever circumstance we face.
We can learn from Him how our thinking processes need to flow around every situation that comes up. Then our attitudes will align with His, and what we say and do will proceed from those right thinking and attitudes. And we will promote Your righteousness and Your Kingdom here in this World right now against the evil our enemy is surrounding us with.
O Father, You are so good to us. To every one of us, showering Your blessings upon each one of us every day. Father, remind Your children that You are Loving us every day. Open our eyes to see and recognize Your blessings each day, to praise Your graciousness and goodness and compassion that You lavish on us every day.
And Your Name will be praised, and Your character will be admired, and Your Person will be worshiped and adored.
And every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Christ and Messiah, the Lord God Almighty, our Sovereign King; to the glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Jesus Made Lower, Then Crowned
Hebrews 2: 5-9
For He did not subject to Angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.
God did not give Angels authority over this World we live in, or over the New Heaven and New Earth that will come.
But one has testified somewhere (in Psalm 8:4),
He created us to spend a little while lower, or inferior to, the Angels, while we live on this Earth now; but we will have the authority over all Creation to rule and govern, including the Angels.
For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.
So God's Plan is to have us to be His kings and queens, exercising authority and rule over all the created Universe. But we're not there yet. We don't have control over the whole World, even though some people think we do.
We have great power to work together and accomplish anything we can imagine, but we are still little children in school while we live our lives here now. We're only learning and practicing for when we will take our thrones.
But we see Jesus ...
Our right and authority to rule is under the headship of our Lord and King, Christ Jesus. We will sit on His throne with Him, as He sits on the Father's throne and rules with Him.
O my Father, thank You for sending Your only-begotten Son to be our Lord God Almighty. Thank You for giving us Your Law and for telling your Prophets what to write. Thank You that our Lord was willing to come to be with us for a little while, to make us fit to live with You and rule over the works of Your hands.
Father, Your great Plan of the Ages has been unfolding before our eyes here on Your Earth, in this World we have built on it. You have given us to be able to accomplish so much here that some think that we are gods, and have become puffed up with pride.
But You are teaching us that the rulers that are fit to govern are those who have learned humility and kindness and compassion.
You have given us Christ Jesus to be our example, and You are molding us and making our characters like His. He humbled Himself for our benefit, and we are to humble ourselves for others' benefit, also.
O Father, continue to work in us, and on us, and with us, and through us, to benefit one another; as You have shown us. And when we are able to succeed in our humility and obedience and compassion, then You will get the credit, the glory, because we cannot do any of this in our flesh, of ourselves.
We must have the power of Your Holy Spirit in us to do any of it at all. That's why You have given Him to us to live in us.
Father, everything You do is perfect and beautiful and lovely. Everything You want to do for us is for our benefit.
My Daddy, my Father, please use me to find Your precious little lambs who are still lost in thickets and on mountain crags. Use me to haul them out of the pits they have fallen into, and to carry them wounded back to the safety and nurturing of Your fold. Gather all of Your sheep, Father, that there will be One Fold with One Shepherd.
And Your House will be full. And every eye will see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord God Almighty over us all, to the glory of God the Father who planned it so.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
For He did not subject to Angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.
God did not give Angels authority over this World we live in, or over the New Heaven and New Earth that will come.
But one has testified somewhere (in Psalm 8:4),
What is Man, that You remember him? Or the son of Man, that You are concerned about him?
You made him for a little while lower than the Angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor, and have appointed him over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things in subjection under his feet.God has noticed us. God has considered Mankind and chosen to Love him, each one of us.
He created us to spend a little while lower, or inferior to, the Angels, while we live on this Earth now; but we will have the authority over all Creation to rule and govern, including the Angels.
For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.
So God's Plan is to have us to be His kings and queens, exercising authority and rule over all the created Universe. But we're not there yet. We don't have control over the whole World, even though some people think we do.
We have great power to work together and accomplish anything we can imagine, but we are still little children in school while we live our lives here now. We're only learning and practicing for when we will take our thrones.
But we see Jesus ...
Our right and authority to rule is under the headship of our Lord and King, Christ Jesus. We will sit on His throne with Him, as He sits on the Father's throne and rules with Him.
O my Father, thank You for sending Your only-begotten Son to be our Lord God Almighty. Thank You for giving us Your Law and for telling your Prophets what to write. Thank You that our Lord was willing to come to be with us for a little while, to make us fit to live with You and rule over the works of Your hands.
Father, Your great Plan of the Ages has been unfolding before our eyes here on Your Earth, in this World we have built on it. You have given us to be able to accomplish so much here that some think that we are gods, and have become puffed up with pride.
But You are teaching us that the rulers that are fit to govern are those who have learned humility and kindness and compassion.
You have given us Christ Jesus to be our example, and You are molding us and making our characters like His. He humbled Himself for our benefit, and we are to humble ourselves for others' benefit, also.
O Father, continue to work in us, and on us, and with us, and through us, to benefit one another; as You have shown us. And when we are able to succeed in our humility and obedience and compassion, then You will get the credit, the glory, because we cannot do any of this in our flesh, of ourselves.
We must have the power of Your Holy Spirit in us to do any of it at all. That's why You have given Him to us to live in us.
Father, everything You do is perfect and beautiful and lovely. Everything You want to do for us is for our benefit.
My Daddy, my Father, please use me to find Your precious little lambs who are still lost in thickets and on mountain crags. Use me to haul them out of the pits they have fallen into, and to carry them wounded back to the safety and nurturing of Your fold. Gather all of Your sheep, Father, that there will be One Fold with One Shepherd.
And Your House will be full. And every eye will see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord God Almighty over us all, to the glory of God the Father who planned it so.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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