"The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven." ~1:3
"...Yes, by God's grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. God for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation" ~2:9-10
"For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying" ~2:14-15
"Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested." ~2:17-18
"But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. Therefore, he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to interceded with God on their behalf. He is the kind of priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by
sin. he has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven." ~7:24-26
"Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people's bodies from ceremonial 1impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the
power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under the first covenant" ~9:14-15
"In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals. For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. he entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the
Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice." ~9:22-26
"For God's will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time" ~10:10
"For by that offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy." ~10:14
"This is the new covenant I will make, with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. Then he says " I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds."" ~10:16-17
"We can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with
sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean and our bodies have been washed with pure water" ~10:19-22
So there it is...the explanation of the gospel and why it was necessary for Jesus to shed his blood in order to cleanse the sins of the world for all time. We can boldly and sincerely enter God's presence because Jesus has cleansed us through his sacrifice. Incredible.
The question now is how do we respond to this sacrifice? If you truly think of all that Jesus gave us...his life I think the proper response is to give him ours. The end of Chapter 10 and the rest of Hebrews tells us how we should respond to the gospel. Ways mentioned to honor Jesus include loving one another, showing hospitality to strangers, remembering those in prison, honoring marriage, and being satisfied with what you have. (Chapter 13:1-6) Another major theme of the end of Hebrews is remaining faithful in order to please God. All of Chapter 11 is a faith hall of fame where each verse starts with "It was by faith that____". Each person mentioned was part of an amazing act of God because they were faithful and trusted God. I can't help but think about what would follow my name if the chapter continued and the verse read "It was by faith that Kenlyn..." I can't think of anything at this point in my life where I have stepped out in faith to participate in one of God's miracles. Definitely something to be more intentional about.
Chapters 10-13 provide several encouragements to remain faithful as well as definitions of what faith actually is.
"Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same
things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do
God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." ~10:32-36
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." ~11:1
"By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen." ~11:3
"And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him" ~11:6
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated at the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won't become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin." ~12:1-4
"So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong" ~12:12
"Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don't forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God." ~13:15
Great encouragement to remain strong in the faith: we believe that God
is greater and that the reward and joy He gives us is far greater than anything
of this world can ever give us. We remain faithful to Him, who can only be faithful to us, and in return we are the ones that inherit all that he
has promised. Is there really anything at all worth missing out on all He has promised??
So I think I might have written a novel longer than the actual book of Hebrews...stay tuned for a much shorter blog next week because the new book is Philemon. Until next week...(or really in 5 minutes when I post the blog on Philemon because I am behind on blogging) I will leave you with this!
"Now may the God of peace who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good
thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever. Amen" ~13:20-21
~Kenlyn
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