The Essence of Faith - Pt. 1

 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3 ESV).

 

Today we begin one of the most familiar passages in Hebrews. It has often been called the “Hall of the Faithful.” However, before we begin to look at each of these men and women in this chapter, we need to see why the writer has include it and what it has to do with our life. So, go back with me five to a previous verse: For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one (Hebrews 10:34). You may remember that some Christians were imprisoned and the others made the hard decision to identify with them and risk their property and their lives.

 

These are the kinds of people the whole book of Hebrews is trying to produce. He wants his readers to live lives that look at the high price of love (the seizure of our property, perhaps, or the some other kind of abuse or calamity, and then accepts that possibility joyfully and do what love demands, no matter what. That's the life Hebrews is aiming at.

 

All the glorious truth we have seen about Christ:

 

-       giving himself once for all as a final sacrifice for our sins (9:14),

-       perfecting us for all time by a single offering (10:14),

-       giving us a clean conscience by his own blood (9:14; 10:22),

-       being our sympathetic high priest before God (4:14-16),

-       interceding for us day after day in heaven (7:25),

-       putting his laws in our minds and writing them on our hearts,

-       being our God (8:10),

-       remembering our sins no more (8:12),

-       promising never to leave us or forsake us (13:5-6)

 

all this great truth that we have been seeing is aimed practically at making us into this kind of people. People who risk property and life in order to bring the love of God to others. People who do not look for comforts and ease and security as a necessary thing in life. People who are free from the American assumptions of style and safety and wealth and leisure. People who know there is one life to live and only what's done in the name of Christ and for the eternal good of others will count in the end.

 

Like Peter we should be able to quickly answer the question of Jesus:

 

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:66-69 ESV).

 

Draw Near with Confidence

 

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and ball the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:15-25 ESV).

 

As may have surmised in the reading of Morning Devotionals, I am reformed in my theology. And I enjoy reading other theologians who share that perspective a bit more than those who do not. Perhaps the central voice of this perspective in the last five centuries is John Calvin. My oldest son, Kyle, sent me the following quote from him recently. It is a great way to begin our short devotional today:

 

“Our prayers depend on no merit of our own, but all their worth and hope of success are founded and depend on the promises of God, so that they need no other support.” (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion).

 

In other religions, drawing near to God is not considered easy—or even allowed. In the Jewish tradition, to enter into the Most Holy Place was forbidden. Only the high priest could do that—and only once a year. Many people have a view of God as an angry God. To even think about drawing near to God is not something they want to do. That’s because, deep down, we know we have done wrong. We are sinners. Our lives are stained with sin. We have offended the God who made us and loves us and wants us to have full life. What’s more, God is holy and perfect, and on our own we cannot stand before him.

 

But because of Christ’s work on the cross, he opens the way for us to be forgiven and to have new life with God. Jesus has made it possible for us to have a direct connection with God, and that is through himself. So here we have the encouragement to not only think about drawing near to God but to have the confidence to do so. Having confidence is being assured that we are doing the right thing. Because of Jesus, because of his finished work to atone for our sins, we can approach God and draw near to him in full assurance of faith.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus - Pt. 3

 

When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will ewe have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:8-14 ESV).

 

Today let’s look more specifically at what it means to us when the writer says: "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified" (v. 14). Notice that Christ has perfected his people, and it is already complete. "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." He "has" done it. And he has done it "for all time." The perfecting of his people is complete and it is complete forever. Does this mean that Christians don't sin? Of course not.

 

There is one clear reason in this very verse for knowing that is not the case. It's the last phrase. The people that have been perfected for all time, those being sanctified are in the process of that result. This is why the tense is so important. Now "those who are being sanctified" are not yet fully sanctified in the sense of committing no more sin. Otherwise, they would not need to go on being sanctified. So here we have the shocking combination: the very people who "have been perfected" are the ones who "are being sanctified." We may also remember from chapters 5 and 6, that these Christians he is writing to are anything but perfect. For example, in 5:11 he says, "You have become dull of hearing." So, we may safely say that "perfected" does not mean that we are sinlessly perfect in this life.

 

Well, what does it mean? The answer is given in the next verses (15-18). The writer explains what he means by quoting Jeremiah again on the new covenant, namely, that in the new covenant which Christ has sealed now by his blood, there is total forgiveness for all our sins. Verses 17-18 "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin." So, he explains the present perfection in terms of forgiveness. Christ's people are perfected now in the sense that God puts away all our sin (9:26), forgives them, and never brings them to mind again as a ground of condemnation. In this sense we stand before him perfect. When he looks on us he does not impute any of our sins against us, past, present or future. He does not count our sins against us.

 

That is the heart of the Gospel. This is the great good news of the accomplished work of Jesus on our behalf!

 

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus - Pt. 2

When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will ewe have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:8-14 ESV).

 

One great glimpse at the Lord Jesus is given in Hebrews 10:14. So let's focus on that verse this morning: "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." Now let's do some very preliminary clarification of the words themselves. The word "offering" refers to the death of Christ, the offering of his own body in death on the cross (v.10). The "He" who does the perfecting is Jesus Christ. We know this simply by following the line of thought from the previous verse (13) where Christ sat down at the right hand of God and waits there, triumphantly, until all his enemies are put under his feet.

 

Also, the tenses of the words "perfected" and "sanctified" are extremely important. The ESV says, "He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” This is not the best translation of the Greek tenses. The translation of "has perfected" or "has made perfect" is good, because the act of perfecting is viewed as complete. That is to say He has perfected a group of people by means of his sacrifice for sins. This perfecting is viewed as having been accomplished and finished and completed. It is done "for all time."

 

But the translation, "those who are sanctified," at the end of the verse, could also look in English as if the sanctifying is also complete. They "are (now, already) sanctified." But that is not what the tense in the original Greek means. It is the present tense and signifies an ongoing process. So, this time the ESV gets it exactly right. The process of sanctifying is continuing now in their lives. Let's step back now and put the whole verse before us again in its context: "For by one offering [the sacrifice of his own body on the cross] Jesus Christ has perfected for all time those who are being made holy [or: are being sanctified] now progressively in this life."

I will return to this truth in the coming days. Today it is vital for your spiritual health to recognize that while you are not yet perfect (without sin) you are accepted and the process will be completed in Jesus. Our goal is not perfect behavior in this life. Our goal should be following Jesus in every step of our journey. Trust Him for that. The enemy would lie to us about that. Don’t listen to that Deceiver!

  

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus - Pt. 1

 

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’” (Hebrews 10:1-7 ESV).

 

As we start a new section in our journey through Hebrews, I would like to turn our eyes upon Jesus especially in the first few verses of the passage. Our reading today draws this stark contrast between the sacrifices of the old covenant and the one sacrifice Jesus made to begin the new covenant. Our starting place needs to be when Peter turned his eyes on the power and grace of Jesus. The Gospel of Luke records it:

 

"When Simon Peter saw [the power of Jesus in the great catch of fish], he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!'" (Luke 5:8).

 

When Peter sees Jesus clearly it causes him to be deeply conscious of his sinfulness and unworthiness. It ought to do the same to us today. While this sounds disturbing and shakes us at our core, it is a wonderful thing. Most of us are in a deadly dream world most of the time when it comes to how seriously we are in trouble with God because of our sin. We worry more about being stopped by a policeman for speeding than we do about the seriousness of sin. But sin is infinitely serious. And God's anger at sinners is the biggest problem in everyone's life, whether we recognize it or not.

 

Several times in the book of Hebrews we are warned about the anger of God against those who turn from him in sin. To be blind or oblivious to this wrath of God against sinners is incredibly dangerous, like not being able to smell the gas leak gathering around the pilot light of your water heater, ready to your house to the ground. It is so dangerous not be aware of the anger of God against those who turn from him in sin.

And the reason it is so dangerous is that, if you are blind to this reality of God's wrath, you won't take steps to find a remedy for sin and an escape from God's anger. So I say again, this is wonderful what happened to Peter when he fell at Jesus' feet and said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O, Lord." This is not an experience to be avoided, but to be cherished. O that God would do it to us in the coming days, as we turn our eyes on Jesus! Because when it happens, the Lord gives relief!

 

The Promised Eternal Inheritance

 

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. (Hebrews 9:15-22 ESV).

 

When we think of an inheritance, we usually think about something a person receives from a relative or friend who has died. The inheritance is given as part of the deceased person’s last will and testament. Hebrews tells us that as a result of Christ’s death, “those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.” This inheritance is the “eternal salvation” and “eternal redemption” we read about earlier in Hebrews (cf. Hebrews 5:9 and 9:12).

 

Some people have described the “new covenant” in Christ in terms of a “last will and testament.” In some ways the language used here in Hebrews sounds like that of a last will and testament, especially when it talks about an inheritance.

 

In order for someone to receive an inheritance, a person has to have died. For us to receive “the promised eternal inheritance,” Jesus died for our sake. The idea that inheritance is tied to death is not only for the new covenant. In the old covenant there was also death: the death of sacrificed animals. Now that Christ has died for us, he has established the new covenant in his blood so that we can receive “the promised eternal inheritance.”

 

Think of it! Because of Jesus’ death for our sake, we have eternal life with him as our inheritance. And in Christ that new life begins even now!

 

Jesus - the Only Eternal Solution

 

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:11-14 ESV).

 

I love the last part of today’s reading! The writer says that Jesus’ work on the cross and in the resurrection has “purified our conscience from dead works to serve the living God (v. 14). God has solved the eternal problem of man, whether ancient people or modern people. That problem is one common to all men (cf. Romans 3:23). Think of it. Here we are in the modern age, the age of science, space travel, E-mail, heart transplants, instant replays, technology that people of my generation could not even imagine, and our problem is fundamentally the same as always: our consciences condemn us and make us feel unacceptable to God. We are alienated from God. We don't feel good enough to come to him. And no matter how distorted our consciences are, that much is true: we are not good enough to come to him.

 

We can sacrifice all that we have, give our time and money to any number of good causes, follow any number of pagan rites and practices, do good deeds for others, or any one of hundreds of forms of penance and self-sacrifice, and the result will be the same: the stain remains, and death terrifies. We know that our conscience is defiled—not with external things. Jesus said it is what comes out of a man that defiles, not what goes in (cf. Mark 7:15-23). We are defiled by attitudes like pride, self-pity, bitterness, lust, envy, jealousy, covetousness, apathy, or fear. The writer of Hebrews says these are "dead works"—that is, they have no spiritual life in them. They don't come from new life; they come from death and they lead to death. That is why they make us feel hopeless in our consciences.

 

The only answer in any age, ancient or modern is the blood of Christ. When your conscience rises up and condemns you, turn to the blood of Christ. Turn to the only cleansing agent in the universe that can give you relief in life and peace in death.

 

From Dead Works to Serving a Living God

 

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:11-14 ESV).

 

We have seen that Jesus has brought the new kingdom into existence. This is why the new time period—where we live—is relevant. This is what the new period is about: God has done something in history—not in some timeless realm of ideas—that solves the deepest problem we have in the modern world. The old period—the old covenant—only pointed to the solution, but didn't solve the problem. The differences between the old "present time" and "the time of reformation" are incredible as we understand our reading today.

 

§  First, the inauguration of the “time of reformation” began when Christ appeared (v. 11). The literal translation of this verb is “now Christ having become high priest”. It is a bit unusual in that it speaks to the actual appearance in physical form of Jesus. Where He arrived is as important as when. He came to the Temple, replacing the old things with Himself.

 

§  Second this was accomplished with His death and resurrection (v. 12). He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. There is no longer a need for annual sacrifices.  

 

§  Third, Jesus’ blood is more efficacious (v. 13-14). For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh [that is, ceremonial cleansing, but not real moral, spiritual cleansing], how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

 

In the old period of history, the high priest went into the Holy of Holies once a year, taking the blood of animals (v. 7). Why did he have to do that? Because the blood stood for the death of an animal and the death was in the place of the death of the priest and the people. God counted the blood of the animal as sufficient for cleansing the flesh, the ceremonial uncleanness.

 

But what about the guilty conscience of the priest and the people? No animal blood could cleanse that. They knew it (cf. Isaiah 53 and Psalm 51). And we know it. So, in "the time of reformation" a new high priest comes—Jesus the Son of God—with a better sacrifice, the sacrifice of himself. The whole Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—were involved: "Through the eternal Spirit [the Holy Spirit] he offered himself [the Son] without blemish to God [the Father]" (v. 14). The result is that all the sins of his people in the Old Covenant were covered by the blood of Jesus. The animal sacrifices foreshadowed the final sacrifice of God's Son, and the death of the Son reaches back to cover all the sins of God's people in the old time period, and forward to cover all the sins of God's people in the new time period.

 

Jesus is greater! That is the Gospel!

 

 

Access Granted - Pt. 4

 

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:11-14 ESV).

 

So, you and I live in this new period, called "the reformation." This is an essential truth for us. It is relevant to us in our computerized, instant age of antibiotics and secular solutions to everything. It's relevant because there's one thing that modern life and scientific progress and psychological therapies and medical discoveries have not made the slightest advance in solving. And that is, what is God's work in this "time of reformation" and this text all about? It is all about how people with sinful natures and stained consciences can draw near to God.

 

Isn't it remarkable that when we spend an evening isolated in front of our computer: addicted, as it were, to work or streaming shows or games, the issue, at the end of it all, is not the wonders of technology, or science; the issue is: how can I come to God when I feel so dirty, and how can I come to my wife and children with transparent love, when my conscience is so defiled? (And if you're not into computers, pick your own sin—TV soaps, romance novels, stock market pages, spirit-numbing music, or any one of the thousands of others.).

 

Isn't it remarkable that the basic problems of life never change. The circumstances change, but the basic problems don't change. We are humans, and we have consciences that witness to our sinfulness with testimonies of real guilt. And we know that what keeps us away from God is not dirty hands or soiled clothes or distance from an altar or a priest. What keeps us from God is real sin echoing in a condemning conscience.

 

We desperately need access to genuine forgiveness. We need access to the presence of God. We need the hope that comes from relationships restored through faith. We need Jesus! The good news is that He is available to you now!

Access Granted - Pt. 3

 

Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and man earthly place of holiness. For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. (Hebrews 9:1-10 ESV).

 

The way to think about the old and strange and foreign is not to say it's irrelevant, or to say that it's just a shadow of eternal truths, but rather to say, that in that old period of history, under God's sovereign design, everything was pointing to a new period of history that began with Jesus, and in which we now live. And the old period has much light to shed on the meaning of the new period.

 

Why did he call the old, strange, foreign period of history "this present time" if he lived after the death and resurrection of Jesus? The answer is given, I think, in Hebrews 8:13 which really introduces this whole section: "When He said [referring to God's voice in Jeremiah 31:31], 'A new covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear." Do you see where he sees himself? He sees himself in the time of transition from old to new. The old system of relating to God through ritual and sacrifice and priest and tabernacle "is becoming obsolete and is ready to disappear. And the new order, the "reformation" has been inaugurated in Christ and is replacing the old. Very soon the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed and the entire priestly, sacrificial system would be finished, as it is to this day.

 

Tomorrow we will discover why this is so important. Today, meditate on the simplicity of God’s plan. He sent His only begotten Son as the final, best answer to all of our needs. In Him we can be sure of eternal life!

Access Granted - Pt. 2

 

Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and man earthly place of holiness. For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. (Hebrews 9:1-10 ESV).

 

Today we go back to the beginning of the ninth chapter with our reading from the first ten verses. The first seven verses set up what this writer wants us to see. They describe the old period of history and the way the people of God worshipped in it. They erected an "earthly sanctuary," which had an outer part, called "the holy place," with lampstand and table and bread. There was also an inner chamber called the Holy of Holies with an altar and chest with sacred relics and carved cherubim above the altar. We have come to understand this as the Ark of the Covenant (pictured as a rendering). The priests entered the outer tent continually, however, only the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year to make atonement for the people. In other words, the way to God was very limited. His presence was sealed off behind the outer tent. He could only be approached in atonement once a year, and only the high priest could go, and he had to go with blood, including blood for his own sins.

 

Now when we get to verse 8, the writer starts his interpretation of this old period of history with its strange, foreign ways. He says, "The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed, while the outer tabernacle is still standing, (9) which is a symbol for the present time." Here comes the tremendously important clue how he wants us to relate to this strange and distant period of history. He says that the outer tabernacle is symbolic of "the present time" (verse 9a).

 

In other words, the ritual of this tent and the way it stands between the worshipper and God's presence are characteristic of "the present time." Notice: he is not saying that this old, strange, foreign ritual is irrelevant. And he is not saying that history is unimportant and all that matters is finding eternal truths in the symbolism of it all. He says this tent and these furnishings and this priestly ritual have directly to do with a period of history. He calls it, "the present time." This tent is "a symbol for the present time" (v. 9a). In this verse he says that the outer tent with its furnishings and ministry, separating the people from the Holy of Holies and the presence of God was symbolic of "the present time." Then he says that all these external rituals that relate to food and drink and washings are valid only "until the time of reformation" ("the setting straight", "the new order").

 

This Greek word is διόρθωσις (“reformation”). And, while there is no direct corresponding word in Hebrew, the concept of correction or reformation can be related to Hebrew terms such as תִּקּוּן (tiqqun), meaning "repair" or "restoration," and שׁוּב (shuv), meaning "to return" or "to repent." The term διόρθωσις refers to the act of setting things right or making improvements. In a biblical context, it is often associated with the idea of reforming or correcting practices, particularly in religious or moral contexts. It implies a restoration to an intended state of order or righteousness.

 

The whole point of this book of Hebrews is to say that the coming of Christ, the Son of God, into the world is the ending of "the present time" of the old, strange, foreign way of relating to God, and the beginning of "the reformation" where Christ himself replaces the high priest and the temple and the blood of the animals and the food and drink rituals. That's the point of the book of Hebrews. Jesus is better. Jesus is the final answer to all of mankind’s sin and failure! That is the heart of our hope!

 

Access Granted - Pt. 1

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:11-14 ESV).

 

The first fourteen verses of Hebrews 9 is one of the more difficult texts to understand because of the context and background. This is as one would expect. When you read about something old and strange and culturally foreign to your present world, you have three choices in how you can deal with the difference and the distance you feel from this oldness and strangeness:

 

§  You could say, "The world of this text is so old and so foreign and so strange—with its tents and altars and animal sacrifices and ceremonial defilements and washings—that they have no relevance for my life today at all. So, I will ignore them and deal with more contemporary things."

§  Or you can say, "Well, the truths that really matter in life are not historical truths, but timeless truths above history, and so in every generation these truths get expressed in some way or another in the world. I will look for some of these timeless truths in these old strange days of priests and ritual and sacrifice and ceremonial defilement. Perhaps my life will be enriched in some way by connecting with the eternal realm through these old practices.

§  Or you can say, "I believe that God governs history and is progressively revealing himself to the world by the way he guides history from one period to the next. Yes, old periods of God's design in history are strange and foreign, but, no, they are not irrelevant. Each successive period helps interpret the next and sheds light on what God is doing in the present. And, yes, there are eternal truths that we can learn from old and strange periods of history, but, no, this is not all that God is doing. History is not just an unreal shadow of heaven. God himself comes into history and does things. And we cannot just stand back and try to see symbols of eternal truths; we have to become a part of what God is doing in history if we would be saved and live with him forever."

 

In the next few days I hope to lead you to see that the latter option is the best of these three. When we understand the timeless message of the writer to be that we have been granted access to the very throne of heaven and the Almighty God who rules over all from that throne. This is essential if we are to have hope, especially in the difficult circumstances of life. This declaration will open the topic that Jesus has become the mediator of a new covenant in which all of God’s chosen people, Jew and Gentile, have been granted access to the presence and power of God. That is the heart of the gospel! Jesus is not merely a fire insurance policy against eternity in hell; Jesus is the way into eternal life with Him!

  

No More Shadows of Things to Come

 

For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8:7-13 ESV).

 

If you walk along a city street on a bright, sunny day, you will come across shadows. The shadows won’t really affect your walk. For example, you can walk through the shadow of a light pole because you know it is just a shadow of the pole. But it does make you aware that there is a light pole near you.

 

The priests that God ordained under the old covenant served in a tabernacle (and later a temple), that was like a shadow, or a copy, of what is in heaven, says Hebrews. That tabernacle and those priests were there to point to the real tabernacle in heaven and the real High Priest, Jesus Christ, who works on our behalf to save us from our sin and gives us new life forever with God.

 

Jesus represents the new covenant, and his work is far superior to that of the priests of the old covenant. Jesus is the ultimate and final Word of God. Unfortunately, people got lost looking only at the shadow instead of looking to the real work of God in their lives and worshiping him as the only true God. Jesus Christ came into the world so that we would no longer need the temple priests to intercede for us; he himself intercedes for us.

 

And he has made the perfect sacrifice, providing forgiveness of sins once and for all. Instead of looking at shadows, we are called to look to Jesus.

 

One Sacrifice for All Time

 

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he [Jesus] holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men sin their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. (Hebrews 7:23-28 ESV).

 

In the Old Testament God made a covenant with his people. That covenant included a system of sacrifices that pointed to the forgiveness of sins. But those sacrifices could not fully take away sin because, as Hebrews states later, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). Those sacrifices only pointed ahead to the one true sacrifice that was really needed: the shed blood of a perfect human being who could offer his own life in place of ours, and that person is Jesus Christ.

 

We could not pay for our own sins. The only way for us to be saved was for a sinless person to die willingly in our place, for our sake. And only Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully human, could do that. For a time, God established the role of priests to offer sacrifices for his people. The priests offered sacrifices from the people to God day after day as payment for sins. And once a year, the high priest would make atonement for everyone on the Day of Atonement.

 

But all that ceremony pointed to the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus, the great High Priest. As our reading says, “He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.” Once for all. Sacrifices for sin are no longer needed. His sacrifice is enough for all. In Jesus all our sins are atoned for.

 

What can we do to pay for our sins? Nothing. Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice, once for all. Hallelujah… we are forever forgiven in Jesus!

 

How Can I Know?

 

Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:9-12 ESV).

 

Many times through the years I have been asked the question “How can I be sure that I am saved?” It is not uncommon for people to worry about whether or not they are saved. They wonder how they can know if they will actually have eternal life with Jesus. I fact, that may be one of the key proofs that one may have that the Holy Spirit is indeed working in their life.

 

The author of Hebrews reminds us in our reading today of God’s justice. And this passage is not saying that on the basis of our works we know we are saved. Rather, our work and the love that we have shown to God are the result of being saved already through the outpouring of his Spirit living in us—all because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. The only way for us to truly produce good works is through faith.

 

Jesus assures us of this truth in Matthew 7. He says that a good tree can only bear good fruit. He’s saying that the work that we do is not earning our salvation; it is evidence that we are already saved and that Jesus is living in us. Likewise, James 2:17 tells us, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

 

So, if you have wondered about your eternal life, remember, as the author of Hebrews says, “God is not unjust.” God sees and will remember the work that you do and the love you have shown him. If you have trusted in the source of eternal salvation—that is, Jesus Christ—your good work and the love that you show are the works of God himself through you.

 

If you wonder whether your work is enough, remember that salvation is not based on your work. It is based on the finished work of Jesus, our great High Priest. Continue in your journey of growth and be willing to do as He instructs you. That will produce a great harvest of good work!

 

Jesus - the Source of Eternal Salvation

 

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:7-10 ESV).

 

People are constantly searching for peace and happiness in their life. Whether they know it or not, they are searching for fulfillment and the meaning of life. They are searching to fill an emptiness in their life, even if they are not able to recognize that.

 

As Christians, we have been given the greatest of all gifts: eternal salvation. This gift is provided to us through the finished work of Jesus Christ. As we have learned, he is the great High Priest appointed to represent us and to mediate for us before God the Father. And to do that, he had to suffer, providing the sacrifice for our sin. Being proved perfect through his suffering for us, taking it on willingly in his obedience for our sake, “he became the source of eternal salvation.”

 

We know where we can find our salvation. It is not in ourselves or anything that this world can offer. Our source of eternal salvation is in Jesus alone.

 

Having found the source of salvation, we are called to live obediently in gratitude for all he has done. We do not earn our salvation by being obedient; our obedience is an outpouring of gratitude for his suffering for our sake.

 

In Jesus we have the source of eternal salvation. We no longer need to search for true peace because we have found it in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

A Great High Priest

 

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5:1-6 ESV).

 

Jesus is greater. He is greater than the angels; He is greater than Moses; He is greater than Melchizedek. The latter is a new addition in the list proving the great worth of Jesus. And, rather than being merely an example of creative license, the author of Hebrews highlights Melchizedek because of his importance in Genesis and Psalm 110. Melchizedek is an early signpost in the Hebrew Bible that there is still hope. A priest-king who will fulfill all of God's intended design––the Messiah––has come in the person of Jesus.

 

We should note the qualifications for becoming the high priest. The high priest was chosen from God’s people, from the descendants of Aaron (cf. Exodus 40:12-15), and was able to “deal gently” with those who did not know God and were going astray. This person was also called by God rather than taking the honor on himself. Jesus did not come to appoint himself as the great high priest. But he met the qualifications of this role. As we have noted, he is fully human and can empathize with all our weaknesses. He understands all that we go through, even all our temptations, and yet he did not sin (cf. Hebrews 4:15).

 

So, God appointed him as the great High Priest. And because Jesus is the Son of God, from before the time of Aaron, God declared him “a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek,” who served as a priest of God Most High (cf. Genesis 14:18-20; Hebrews 7:1-3) outside the time Aaron. It is also worth noting that Melchizedek was also the ruler of Salem (Jerusalem, before the time of David). Jesus does not take this on himself but is appointed by God. The office of the great High Priest is filled by Jesus, God’s Son, who is fully human and appointed by God himself. That is GREAT news for us! He knows us and is the only one who can bring forgiveness to us!