Hebrews 11:17-29; The Testing of our Faith

Here's the message from Hebrews 11:17-29, the Testing of our Faith. May the Lord be glorified and His saints equipped. Forget the one speaking; focus on the One who is faithful. 

Hebrews 11:1-16; Lively Faith

This chapter is encouragement to the saints to live like we believe what the Bible says; opening with a description of faith. Biblical faith is key to our world-view and contrasts strikingly with walking by sight. But it’s important to reflect on the foundation which was laid in the preceding chapter – see verses 22-25. That passage exhorts us to faith, hope, and love which are part and parcel of our walk with the Lord. Chapter 11 develops faith, chapter 12 hope, and chapter 13 love. The suffering and perseverance of the saints summarized in chapter 10 are expounded with biblical examples in this chapter.

Hebrews 10:26-39; Warning and Encouragement

This section represents a change in direction for this letter – a hinge-point, moving from theological truth to how that impacts our lives. It’s not an absolute change in direction, as all of Scripture has something for us in both of these arenas. We have read of intense teaching of how Christ is better and greater than all and has brought His people into a better and greater covenant and state of being, coupled with warnings about drifting away and false belief. This section repeats the warning and ends with encouragement to the saints to live like we believe; opening the way to chapter 11 and following, where the focus is on living worthy of our call. 

 

Hebrews 10:1-10; Just Give Me Jesus

While the author continues to stress the futility of law-keeping as a means to reconciliation with God, the deeper issue is the underlying condition of the human being. We are inclined to trust what we can comprehend with our natural senses; what we can touch, see, and hear. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” We are to look for that which is unseen, things that are eternal. We must have Jesus!

 

Hebrews 9:11-28; Substance

The first half chapter 9 reviewed the pattern of the tabernacle and what it consisted of; then it reviewed the practice within that tabernacle. This is to provide a contrast between the shadow and the substance, which is where we are today. Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (Col. 2:16-17)

Hebrews 9:1-10; Shadowland

Chapter 8 revealed that the Levitical religion and all its rites were a shadow of the heavenlies. Shadows can be very detailed, but they lack substance. The first half chapter 9 reviews the pattern of the tabernacle and what it consisted of; then it reviews the practice within that tabernacle. This is to provide a contrast between the shadow and the substance, which follows. Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (Col. 2:16-17) 

Hebrews 8 - The Main Thing

Here's my message from Hebrews 8 - The Main Thing. When myriad things cloud our minds and distract us for the Lord, His Spirit reminds us Who is the Main Thing and calls us back to worship and honor Him.

Hebrews 7:11-28 The Priest We Need

The opening phrase presupposes that perfection is not possible through the Levitical priesthood – it was a temporal priesthood that only covered sins for a season. This point is emphasized by the observation that the Mosaic Law was received under that priesthood. Law is tied to covenant; both are dependent on the priesthood given. Since the Levitical priesthood was unable to bring eternal life, there was a need for a priesthood that could do so – we see, again, this reference to the man of mystery, Melchizedek. We need a priest from his order, not that of Aaron! The author specifies that he speaks about the One, He, the Lord Jesus, being from a different tribe than Aaron’s – a tribe from which no one has served at the altar in the Hebrew sanctuary. He sums up by observing that Christ came from the tribe of Judah and that Moses said nothing about priests coming from that tribe. We have the perfect priest from that tribe; a priest Who is a lion. This was said about Him: The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. (Gen .49:10) The scepter, meaning rule, will always be His; the obedience of the redeemed people will be His. Consider Him!

The Man of Mystery - Hebrews 7:1-10

My message from Hebrews 7:1-10; The Man of Mystery.

We should be as satisfied with the silence of Scripture as we are with the words therein.

The Anchor Holds - Hebrews 6:13-20

Where your heart is, there is your anchor. This could be worldly wealth, health, your kids, your standard of living. None of these are bad, in and of themselves; but if they drag us away from Christ, they have taken over a position they cannot fulfill. We must never get satisfied with the gifts, but always direct our affections to the giver of all good things. He is the Rock our hope, our anchor, must be fixed upon.

Hebrews 5:11-6:12 Warnings and Encouragement

Exegesis must not be influenced by one's system of theology, but only by the Scripture, which interprets itself. When we come to a difficult passage in this book we cannot ignore the allusions to the Old Covenant. The description of people and land in this passage have been variously interpreted; I think the proper path is to understand these allusions and what they would mean to the original audience; then determine how they apply to us.

 

Our Great High Priest!

Hebrews 4:14 – 5:10 – Our Great High Priest

1. Jesus is our Great High Priest
2. Our Great High Priest has compassion
3. Our Great High Priest gives us confidence
4. Characteristics of an Aaronic High Priest
5. Jesus – the Supreme High Priest

A Joyful Walk in the Spirit

Hebrews 12:2 Let us look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

Hebrews 9:11-28 Jesus is Better

This message was a prelude to the saints of Community Baptist taking the Lord's Supper. 

Heb 9:11-14 Christ has appeared.

Heb 9:15-22 Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant.

Heb 9:23-28 Christ is a better sacrifice. 

Hebrews 4:1-13, Promise and Warning

1. The Promise Stands as does the warning (1 – 3)
2. The Promise is Rest in Christ (4 – 11)
3. Nothing is Hidden from God (12 – 13)

 

Hebrews 3 - Jesus is Better

From 1 September. 

Here's a snippet from the message:

As the faithful son over all of God's house, Jesus is superior to Moses – but not contrary to Him. As Moses is a type of Christ, so was the Exodus a type which foretells the redemption we have in Christ. In Luke 9:31 the death of Jesus is called an exodus; He is, according to 1 Cor 5:7, the true Passover; in 1 Pet 1:19 Jesus is the lamb without spot or blemish. Jesus was in Acts 7:38 the One who gave Israel living oracles in the wilderness; their baptism into Christ is the anti-type of Israel's passage through the Red Sea (1 Cor 10:1); our spiritual feeding on Christ in the Lord's Supper is the anti-type of Israel's nourishment by manna and water from the rock (1 Cor 10:3). Christ, the living Rock, was their guide through the wilderness (1 Cor 10:4); the heavenly rest that awaits the saints is the counterpart of the earthly Canaan rest of Israel (Heb 4). This typology was pressed on early Christians, telling them and us that Israel's rebellion and punishment in the wilderness was preserved for our instruction (1 Cor 10:6); Jude applies this to Christians from the fact that “the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” (Jude 5)

 

Hebrews 2:14-18, Jesus our High Priest

Hebrews 2:14 – 18 – Jesus our High Priest

In the last message from Hebrews, we saw how Jesus came as a man, was victorious over sin and death, has been glorified and is honored in Heaven. And He calls us – announces publicly to all – that we are His brothers and sisters. This last paragraph of chapter 2 builds on this, reminding us of three things: a) Jesus' humanity, b) how He came to die, and c) now helps us as our faithful high priest. Each of these three points is meant to comfort and strengthen His people. Now as then – some 2,000 years ago – God's people live in a world that is designed and run to draw us aside, to weigh us down. Many of our brothers and sisters around the world are persecuted and killed. Whether we are threatened with the sword or by countless enticements to compromise, our refuge is the same – flee to Christ! Our flesh is weak, we need a strong tower – but we also need an advocate who will plead our case. We who have faith in Christ Jesus have more than we need. Let's get into the text!  

Hebrews 2:5-13; Jesus and Humanity

 A plea to the saints to see Christ as fully God and fully man. A complete Savior!

Hebrews 2:1-4 Our Great Salvation

Our Great Salvation

 Heb 2:1-4 (HCSB)  (click the link above for the sermon)

We must, therefore, pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away. For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to His will. 

Hebrews 1 - The Supreme Son

 Was blessed to teach the main service this past Sunday at Community Baptist. The sermon was from Hebrews 1 - The Supreme Son. My desire was to help the saints see with eyes of faith the Lord Jesus a little bit better.