Friday Thought -- March 29, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)

When God told Noah to build an ark because there was going to be a flood, it must have sounded like a strange instruction. After all, nothing like that had ever happened before. In fact, some Bible scholars believe that it hadn’t even rained before the flood, that the earth had been watered through a mist, rather than rain. Certainly, the world had never seen anything like the flood that God was announcing.

Though it was a strange command, Noah followed it obediently. He believed that what God said would come to pass. There’s only one reason why Noah could be persuaded to think what God said would happen, he trusted God! That’s faith, he heard what God said, believed it was true, and acted upon that belief.

As a result Noah was protected from the flood waters. He and his family were kept from the death that the rest of the world suffered. And, more than that, Noah was declared righteous, he pleased God.

That’s what faith did for Noah. That’s what faith still does for men and women. It protects us, because God knows what He is talking about. Through faith, we are declared righteous, accepted by God, pleasing to Him.

Listen to what God says, and He has already said a lot in His Word. Believe that what He has said is true, no matter how strange it sounds. Act on that belief. That’s faith.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- March 28, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. …  And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:1-3, 6)

Faith is important to God. In fact, it’s so important that He says it is impossible for us to please Him without it. So what is faith?

Faith is being sure.

    It’s being sure that there is a God.

    It’s being sure that you know who He is.

    It’s being sure you know He cares about you.

    It’s being sure He has a plan to save you.

   

    It’s being sure He sent His Son for you.

    It’s being sure He has a place prepared for you.

    It’s being sure He’ll be there after death.

    It’s being sure He’s there in life, too.

Faith is being sure.

But it is more than that.

Faith is acting on our certainty.

    It’s being sure enough that we trust Him with our life.

    It’s being sure enough that we trust Him with our death.

    It’s being sure enough that we trust Him with our future.

    It’s being sure enough that we trust Him with everything.

Faith is being sure!

I’m sure! Are you?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- March 27, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.” (Hebrews 10:32-35)

Our relationship with God is worth suffering for. Most of us have not done much suffering for it, but there are many through history and many in other parts of the world today who have. Suffering, insult, persecution, prison, confiscation of property – all of these are costs others have paid for their faith. And it was worth it.

Those to whom the book of Hebrews was written were commended for the way they had endured suffering. They were also commended for standing with other believers who were being insulted and persecuted. They cast their lot with those who suffered for their faith, to encourage and support them in the midst of their difficulties.

And for all they endured, the scripture promises, “it will be richly rewarded.” God will not forget what they endured and will not forget their willingness to stand with others who were suffering. It will be worth whatever they had to face.

I wonder if you and I would be willing to suffer for our faith? We aren’t being called to suffer right now, but it could come in the future. Will our faith endure through whatever we have to face? It should, because what we have to gain is worth it!

And the other question that comes to mind from this passage is, how are we standing with those who are being persecuted today for their faith? Are we standing with them in prayer? Are we standing with them in other ways, practical ways that can provide help to them? They deserve it. They need it.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- March 26, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:26-31)

God is the God of grace. He loves the whole world with such deep love that He was willing to sacrifice His own Son. He doesn’t want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. He wants everyone to be saved. Through the cross, He draws all men to Himself.

But, salvation is not universal. For those who reject the cross and the grace of God, or ignore it, judgment awaits. It is a fearful prospect.

There is a choice to be made.

On the one hand, it is to open your life to God, to receive His grace, to know His truth, to walk in His love. And the result is an eternity of peace, joy, and blessing with the Lord.

On the other hand, it is to deliberately keep on with a life of sin, it is to trample God’s Son, it is to treat His blood as unholy, it is to insult God’s grace. And the result is an eternity of fear, dread, and punishment.

There is a choice to be made.

If you have made the choice. If you have received God’s grace and mercy. If you have the hope of an eternity filled with blessings. Share it with others. It’s the difference between life and death. It is the difference between hope and terror.  It is the difference between blessing and punishment. It is a matter of eternity!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- March 25, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:19-25)

We can enter the Most Holy Place, the very presence of God Himself. We have a way opened for us to it by the blood that Jesus shed for us. We have a great high priest who is there for us, interceding our behalf.

Therefore ...

Draw near to God. Do it honestly, not with any pretense or hypocrisy, just honestly come to God. Do it with assurance, knowing that if we come through Jesus we will be let into God’s presence. In Christ, we have been made ready to enter because of the cleansing from sin we have received. Without that cleansing there is no way to enter, the door is blocked to those who have not been washed clean.

Hold on to your hope. It’s not always easy to do that. Roadblocks to hope are ahead. There are curves in the road we must walk. We can’t always see past the difficulties. But hold on to the hope. And we hold on for good reason: God has already proven Himself faithful at every past turn and through every past roadblock, and He will show Himself faithful in those ahead, too.

Help one another. We’re not on this pathway alone. There are others who are struggling to hold on to their faith. We have a responsibility to help each other. Encourage them, challenge them, love them. And meet with them! It’s easy to stop meeting with other believers. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like we get much out of it. But that’s not the only reason to meet. We meet to help others, too.

We have a great high priest. That changes, or should change, the way we live. And one more truth: He’s coming again. That’s the great day we await. Keep walking the pathway until He comes.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- March 22, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:  ‘This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.’ Then he adds:  ‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’ And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.” (Hebrews 10:11-18)

In Christ, we’ve been made perfect. It’s not that we never sin anymore, none of us could honestly make that claim. It’s that all of our sins, past, present, and future have been taken away by the blood of Jesus Christ. In Christ, when God looks upon us, He doesn’t see our sins. God sees us through the perfect holiness of Jesus Christ. That has been accomplished once and for all through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. His death is totally sufficient.

Christ not only accomplished the taking away of all our sins, He has also provided the way for us to be changed. In the Old Testament, God provided the standard, His Law, by which men would be judged. Those who loved God were to try to keep the Law. But that wasn’t possible, not for anyone. In Christ, God is doing the transforming work in our lives from the inside out. By His Holy Spirit, He is writing His standards in our minds and putting them in our hearts.

We’ve been forgiven, once and for all, by the sacrifice of Jesus. It is God’s doing, not ours. It is grace.

We’re being changed by the presence of His Spirit. Again, it is God’s doing, not ours. It is grace.

Everything we need is in Christ!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- March 21, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:24-28)

The first time Jesus came – He came to offer Himself as the one perfect sacrifice.

The first time Jesus came – He came to carry all of our sins on His shoulders.

The first time Jesus came – He allowed Himself to be beaten, mocked, and killed.

The first time Jesus came – only a few followed Him and the rest rejected or ignored Him.

The first time Jesus came – the religious leaders didn’t believe Him.

The first time Jesus came – the governments became His enemies.

But that was the first time Jesus came. He’s coming again.

The second time Jesus comes – He will bring salvation with Him.

The second time Jesus comes – He will be pleased with those who are waiting for Him.

The second time Jesus comes – He will come in power and glory, not to be beaten and killed.

The second time Jesus comes – all will see Him and bow to Him.

The second time Jesus comes – the religious leaders will clearly see who He is.

The second time Jesus comes – the governments will submit to His Kingdom.

The first time Jesus came, He came to bear our sins. The second time Jesus comes, He will come bringing salvation for us, eternal and complete. And He’ll come bringing judgment for those who do not know Him.

If you know Him, He’s worth waiting for!

If you don’t, the time to open your heart to Him is before He comes!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- March 20, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:11-14)

Jesus is a greater high priest.  He is not a high priest appointed because of who his ancestors were, but God’s own Son. He was appointed because of His relationship with the Father. He is a better high priest because of who He is, and a better high priest because of what He did. He lived a perfect, sinless life. There never had been and never could be another high priest like Jesus.

Jesus serves in a greater tabernacle. The Jewish high priests entered a tabernacle made by human hands, using the materials that they were commanded to use. Those materials were all found here in this physical world. Those who made the tabernacle had nothing else with which to work. The tabernacle was made according to design, but it was limited to what they had to work with. And when the temple replaced the tabernacle, the same thing could be said. It was a beautiful building, but it was still just a building made with wood, stone, and precious metals. But the tabernacle in which Jesus serves as high priest does not have the same limitations. It is not made with human hands, but by God Himself, so it does not have the imperfections of every human creation. It is not made with physical materials, limited to what is available on earth. It has been made from heavenly materials, created by the mind of God just for the tabernacle.

Jesus offered a greater sacrifice. The blood of bulls and goats was all the high priest could carry into the Most Holy Place. There was no other sacrifice to be made. But those sacrifices weren’t adequate to take away sin, they just covered it over. But Jesus carried a greater sacrifice into the heavenly tabernacle. He carried His own blood. That was a far more costly sacrifice. That was a far more powerful and effective sacrifice. That was a far more acceptable sacrifice to the Father. It is adequate not for covering over sin, but for totally and completely and eternally removing it.

We have the perfect high priest. He serves in the perfect tabernacle.  He offered the perfect sacrifice.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- March 19, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place. When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.” (Hebrews 9:2-3; 6-9)

Before Jesus came, there were places not even the priests could go. The Most Holy Place, representing the very presence of God, was restricted. Access to it was limited in time – it could be entered only once a year. It was limited in person – only one man could enter that place, the High Priest. It was limited in manner – the High Priest could only enter it according to the strictest procedure, only carrying the blood of a sacrifice.

A marvelous thing happened at the very time of Jesus’ death: the curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was ripped in two from top to bottom. Jesus entered into the Most Holy Place, the very presence of the Father, carrying His own blood, and the way into that presence was opened to all men, once and for all time. Access is no longer limited in time – the way is always open to people. Access is no longer limited in person – everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord can enter. Access is no longer limited in manner -- Jesus has already offered the one sacrifice fit for all time, and in His name we can freely enter with empty hands.

How sad that there are those in the world – many of them – who still believe access to God is so limited. If they only knew the way to God is open through Jesus. What a marvelous, miraculous privilege we enjoy!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- March 18, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:10-12)

Through Jesus Christ, God has entered into a new agreement with men. This new agreement is not like the old agreement.

The old agreement was based on laws written on tablets of stone, externally imposed and externally enforced. The new agreement is based on what God does within man, a relationship in which He puts His law into our hearts by the presence of His own Spirit. It’s not externally imposed, it is internally implanted. And it’s not externally enforced, but internally developed.

The old agreement was an inadequate way in which to know God. What could be known about Him was revealed in stories and writings that could be taught and learned. In the new agreement, God is not made known to us just by stories and writings to be studied and taught and learned. He reveals Himself through His Son and He reveals Himself through His indwelling presence by the Spirit. It is not knowledge reserved for the priests or those “in the know”, but shared by all who are His disciples.

In the old agreement, sins were rolled back from year to year. They had to be covered over by sacrifices made continually, day after day, year after year. But in the new agreement, sins have been dealt with once and for all. Forgiveness is not daily, but complete in the cross. Sins are not rolled back, but completely taken away and forgotten.

Thank God for the new era of Jesus, marked by God’s indwelling presence by His Spirit and by God’s forgiveness, completed at the cross.

His, by Grace,

Steve 

Friday Thought -- March 15, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.” (Hebrews 8:1-4)

The author of Hebrews continues to talk about Jesus as our high priest and reminds us about how much better He is as a high priest than the priests that came through the law.

For one, He serves in a much better sanctuary. The priests who came through the law served in a sanctuary made by human hands according to the pattern revealed by God to Moses. But it was just a shadow of the real sanctuary. It was as inferior to the heavenly sanctuary as everything on earth is inferior to that which is in heaven. It may have been fashioned after the real thing, but it could not compete with it. Jesus, though does not serve in the sanctuary on earth, but in the real sanctuary in heaven. It is the sanctuary made by God, not by man. It is not a shadow, but the real thing.

He serves at the right hand of the throne of Majesty in heaven. Our high priest has the Father’s ear, because He sits next to Him. There is no doubt about whether or not the Father hears Him. He hears everything that our high priest says and every petition our high priest makes for us. Our high priest is in the perfect place to intercede for us.

And one more thing, every high priest offers gifts, sacrifices to the Lord. The high priests according to the law, offered the sacrifices detailed by the law. They offered bulls and goats and sheep and doves and grain and wine and other sacrifices like those. But our high priest offers none of those gifts and sacrifices to the Father. The sacrifice He brings is far superior to those sacrifices. It can’t even be compared with them. Our high priest offers Himself as the sacrifice on our behalf. It is His blood that He poured out as a gift. It is His death that He offers to the Father.

We need not doubt that the Father has accepted the gifts and sacrifices our high priest has offered to Him. He offers them in the heavenly sanctuary right next to the throne of the Father, and offers the most valuable sacrifice imaginable: He offers Himself!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- March 14, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

The seventh chapter of Hebrews presents an interesting argument. I’d encourage you to read the whole chapter. The basic point of the chapter is that we have a different kind of priest in Jesus.

The law set up very specific regulations about who would be priests among the Jews. All priests were descendants of Levi, one of the 12 sons of Jacob. And of the descendants of Levi, most were only servants in the Temple, only the branch descended from Aaron could actually be priests.

But Jesus didn’t descend from Levi. He was of the tribe of Judah (Hebrews 7:14). No one from that tribe had ever been a priest before. Jesus didn’t become a priest for us by having the right ancestry. Rather, “he has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.” (Hebrews 7:16)

In Jesus, we have a better priest than ever served in the Temple. All of those priests had a significant limitation, they were human, mortal, they all died. But Jesus lives forever, and is our priest forever. “Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.” (Hebrews 7:23-24)

And what does it mean that we have a different priest, a better priest, an eternal priest?  “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets our need -- one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” (Hebrews 7:25-26)

Jesus is not qualified by ancestry. He is qualified by God’s declaration and by His own perfection. And, therefore, we can trust completely that what He promises to be able to do, He can do perfectly. We have a perfect priest who will always be in the Heavenly Temple, interceding for us.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- March 13, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.’ And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:13-19)

Why did God declare His promise with an oath?

It wasn’t for His benefit. His oath did not move to compel God to keep His word more than just His promise would. God is a promise keeper and doesn’t require an oath to make it sure.

He swore with an oath for our benefit. He did it to put an end to all argument. He did it to make very clear the unchanging nature of His promise, that nothing could alter it. He did it so that our hope would be more certain to us and we would be encouraged by it. He did it for us.

Sometimes it is hard to accept God’s promise because it is slow in being fulfilled. Consider God’s promise to Abraham. God promised him a great nation of descendants, but he was a very old man (100 years old) before he fathered a son through whom that promise could be fulfilled. Any reasonable man would have given up hope. Any reasonable man would have assumed God either lied or was incapable of fulfilling His promise. But Abraham kept faith and continued to hope for the fulfillment of God’s promise. And God fulfilled His promise.

And for us, God’s promise may well take a lifetime and just a moment more before it will be fulfilled. Reasonable men might give up hope, might think God will not keep His promise. But men of faith hold on to the promise, because it is God who gave it. He kept His promise to Abraham. He has kept every promise He has ever made. And He will keep His promises to you, too.

You can count on it. You can hold on to His promises with confidence. It requires patience, but there is no doubt about the outcome. God will keep His promises. He has sworn to!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- March 12, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case -- things that accompany salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” (Hebrews 6:7-10)

God will be no man’s debtor. Every sacrifice sincerely made in the name of the Lord will be repaid. All fruit that is produced through a connection to God will be blessed. That is the promise of Hebrews. God’s memory will not fail. He will remember all of your fruit and all of your sacrifices.

That doesn’t mean we should produce fruit or make sacrifices for what we will get out of them. We bear fruit and make sacrifices out of love, not out of a desire for reward. But, it is still true that God will reward all that we do for Him out of love.

Jesus made the same promise to the disciples: “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)

Serving God is worth it. It’s worth it because it’s right. It’s worth it because He deserves it. It’s worth it because He loves us. It’s worth it because He will bless us for it. Serving God is worth it.

God will be no man’s debtor.

His, by Grace,

Steve 

Monday Thought -- March 11, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”(Hebrews 6:4-6)

One of the recurring themes in the book of Hebrews is the danger of “falling away.” There was a deep concern in the heart of the author for those to whom he was writing. He wanted to be sure they stood firm and steadfast in their faith in Christ and their relationship to Him.

It is hard to understand why anyone would turn his back on Christ after having entered into a relationship to Him. The author includes just a short list of some of the blessings that knowing Christ brings into our lives: enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, shared the Holy Spirit, tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers to come. Those are all things available only through a relationship with Jesus Christ, so why would anyone lay them aside?

Of course, those who fall away don’t initiate the process deliberately. Such a process generally starts with sin. By continuing in sin, without repentance, the slow process of the hardening of the heart occurs. With each sin, comes the prompting of the Holy Spirit to repent and each time that prompting is ignored it becomes harder to listen to it the next time.

That’s why listening to God’s prompting to repent is so important in our lives. There is danger in ignoring it. Not immediate danger, but it does represent one step away from the Lord.

How can you tell if someone has “fallen away” to the place where they’ve lost the heavenly gift and are no longer sharing in the Holy Spirit. There is one certain test: such a person will never desire to repent. Where there is the desire to repent, God is always ready to forgive.

There is a danger and repentance is the protection from it! Listen to the Spirit’s promptings about sin.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- March 8, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:11-14)

Let’s see: slow to learn, need elementary truths, still on the bottle, not even to baby food, infant, not mature. The Hebrew writer had a way with words, didn’t he? I don’t think he was deliberately trying to offend his readers, just shock them into opening their eyes and recognizing their need to grow. Sometimes we all need a good kick in the seat of the pants. And we need someone who is bold enough and who loves us enough to give it when we need it!

What the writer said was not mean-spirited, or designed to hurt. It came from his love and concern for the Hebrews. They were in danger. There was so much in Christ that they had not yet discovered because they were stuck in the nursery. They needed to move beyond the nursery and get on to the good stuff.

Can you imagine someone enjoying the elementary school band so much that he wouldn’t leave it? How sad! There is so much more to music than what the elementary school band can play. Just one listen to a high school band gives some idea, and how about a London Philharmonic concert! How sad to be stuck in elementary school.

And, in Christ, there is much more than just the elementary truths of the Gospel. For the Hebrews, it was time to move on and begin to learn some of the deeper truths and to move beyond just being learners to teaching others what they had learned. They needed someone to kick them out of their comfort zone.

Perhaps some of us do, too!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- March 7, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5:7-10)

Suffering, submission, and obedience are the marks from Jesus’ life that perfectly fitted Him to be our High Priest before the Father.

In suffering, Jesus felt what it is like to be human. He knows what it means to face the trials and difficulties of life on earth. Without that experience it would be more difficult for us to think He is sympathetic with us in our difficulties, and more difficult for us to trust Him.

In submission and obedience, Jesus felt how hard it is to say “no” to self and to His own will. That is the greatest difficulty we face in this life. We want our way and to act according to our will. To give in to the will of another is a great struggle, even when the other is God Himself. Jesus understands that. He, too, felt the pull of His own will and the strength of the desire to do what He wanted to do, rather than what God was calling Him to do.

He felt suffering, and overcame it. He did not allow suffering to determine how He would act or what He would accomplish. He knew submission and obedience. Although faced with the temptation, He did not give in to His own will, but kept perfectly focused on what God was calling Him to do. He faced the same struggles we do, so He is an understanding High Priest. He overcame them perfectly, so, like no other, He is a fit High Priest.

Trustworthy and fit: perfect to stand before God on our behalf.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- March 6, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:13-16)

There are two terrifying thoughts in this passage from Hebrews:

First, God knows everything about us. Our thoughts, our words, our actions, all are known by Him.

Second, we must give an account to God. Judgment awaits at which everything will be before Him.

But there is an answer to the terrifying news: a High Priest is available for us.

He is a great High Priest, the Son of God Himself.

He is a sympathetic High Priest. He, too, has known weakness and temptation.

He is a perfect High Priest. He has overcome sin, never giving in to it.

There are two comforting thoughts in this passage:

First, the throne before which we must stand to give an account is a throne of grace. It is not a throne characterized by harsh judgment, but by loving grace.

Second, we will receive mercy and grace there to help us in our need.

Those two thoughts are true because of our High Priest. He has made grace and mercy possible for us. And it is through the faith we profess that grace and mercy will flow to us.

Someday each of us will stand before God’s Judgment throne and be called to give an account to Him of our lives. But, because of Jesus, we don’t have anything to fear. Be confident! Our High Priest will be there with us and we’ll find grace and mercy there through Him.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- March 5, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.” (Hebrews 4:1-3, 9-10)

The promise of God to those who have faith is the promise of rest. That is what awaits us in eternity. We won’t leave this world to find another world of strife and trouble, hardship and heartache. We’ll leave this world to enter an eternity of peace and joy, satisfaction and fulfillment.

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) We can’t avoid it. Trouble is the mark of this world. It’s a struggle to get through this life. It’s made far more endurable by God’s presence in our lives, but not even His presence takes away all the troubles we must face.

But it will not always be so! An eternity of rest awaits. Whereas here we must support ourselves and our families by the sweat of our brow, in heaven our difficult labors will cease. Whereas here relationships are strained and broken for a myriad of reasons, in heaven all relationships will be restored and perfected. Whereas here our lives are filled with worry, in heaven all worry will be taken away and peace will fill us. Whereas here there are the frequent tears of disease and death and other difficulties, in heaven all tears will be wiped from our eyes. Whereas here there are pains of many sorts, in heaven there will be no pain for us.

Sometimes life is tough. In fact, often it is. Remember, the rest is ahead. Heaven awaits.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- March 4, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.” (Hebrews 3:12-14)

We all face the danger of the hardening of our hearts. It happens slowly, as we give in to sin. One sin upon another, unchecked and unconfessed. Slowly, our hearts get harder and harder to the Lord, finally turning to unbelief, away from God. That is the danger we face, and many have fallen prey to it.

The protection we have against it is a community protection: we are to encourage one another regularly. Solitary Christians greatly increase the danger of a hardened heart, because they are not in relationship with others who will encourage them. I need other believers and they need me.

A pat on the back, a word of instruction, a challenge, a correction, a rebuke, all of these are ways that I can be encouraged by others and ways that I can encourage them, and all are needed at different times.

I hold the key to my brother’s protection and he holds the key to mine. Find those who will encourage you regularly, even daily. Find those toward whom you can be an encouragement. We need each other!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- March 1, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, “Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.” So I declared on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter my rest.”’” (Hebrews 3:7-11)

In the days following their deliverance from Egypt, God clearly spoke to the people of Israel. He provided them clear direction. It doesn’t seem like it could be much clearer. There was a pillar of cloud that guided them during the day and a pillar of fire to do the same at night. And God spoke directly to their leader, Moses, providing the clearest direction of His will and His standards that could possibly be given. It was written down and delivered to the people. When they got to the edge of the Promised Land, there should have been no doubt as to what they were to do next. They had been promised the land. God had led them clearly to its border. It was time to enter what God had promised. But they turned away from it.

That’s not the only time the people of Israel refused to listen to God’s clear direction during their days in the wilderness. It seemed to be something of a pattern in their lives. Part of it was fear. Part of it was stubbornness.

When God spoke, they turned away from what He said. That’s what the Hebrew writer calls “hardening your hearts.” And people still do it today. God continues to provide direction to people. He does it in many ways, even as He did with the Israelites. And He continues to give people a choice as to whether or not they will listen to what He says.

And when we don’t listen to God’s voice and keep doing that over and over, we drift further and further from Him and are kept from His “rest.” When we fail to listen to God’s voice, we miss out on the peace and fulfillment that God offers. If we keep doing it there is grave danger to our eternity!

God still speaks to people, even you. Listen to Him!

His, by Grace,

Steve