SOULJournal

Hebrews 13

SCRIPTURE
13:¹ Keep on loving each other as brothers

OBSERVATION
After 12 chapters of doctrine the author reminds them that the doctrine has practical application to life and living, our position in Christ leads to a practical life.  True faith demands true living.  So the author spends some time on some practicals.  He starts with being a community characterized by love. 

UNDERSTANDING
The greatest is love for our fellow spiritual family members.  This brotherly love (literal translation being deep affection for our family member) is foundational to our practice.  Having experienced the love of God that is complete, without any strings attached, we are called to love one another in the same way.  Putting away bitterness, malice, envy etc and choosing to love we work out our relational issues in an environment when there is the presence of a reconciling spirit.  Always looking for the restoration of relationships rather than the cutting off of relationships.

This kind of love is important for a few reasons...it show the world that we belong to Christ; it reveals our true identity to ourselves; and it is pleasing to God. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). In effect, God gives the world a right to evaluate us on the basis of our love for each other. As a witness to the world, and as a testimony for our Lord, it is important that we consider others better than ourselves, that we look out for their interests above our own, because in doing so, our lives preach a powerful sermon. We are living epistles.  Loving our Christian brothers and sisters also shows our true identity—it gives added assurance to us of our life in Christ. “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:14).

“Do I care about the Christians I know? Do I enjoy their fellowship? Do I show my concern by ministering to their needs?”   If the answer is yes, we have no better evidence that we are a child of God—because we love His other children, our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Loving our fellow spiritual family members is important because it is pleasing to God, an act of worship.  Nothing is more pleasing to parents than to see their children caring for each other.  When His children care for each other, help each other, and live in harmony with each other, God is delighted and worshipped. When we love each other to the degree where we are willing to give our lives for one another, we live out the example of Jesus. “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).

LIFE APPLICATION
Lord let my life of worship not only show in a Sunday service of lifting my hands or singing some songs, but let my life of worship be evident in how I choose to love Your people.  I admit that they frustrate me and offend me and disappoint me many a time but let me show Your kind of love by loving them enough to let it go or confront if I know it is going to fester and cause problems.  Thanks for demonstrating that kind of love for me now I want to pass it on.

Hebrews 12

SCRIPTURE
12:¹⁵ See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

OBSERVATION
Bitterness has a dangerous root that if left unchecked grows to yield a dangerous fruit which is destructive.

UNDERSTANDING
A root of bitterness grows in the soil of a hurt that was not dealt with Biblically.  So where do roots grow?  Roots grow underground, and a root of bitterness starts out as an underground job.  Other people may look at us, and they may not see it.  We may look normal, and people may think the relationship is okay, but under ground, there can be a very dangerous root of bitterness that starts to grow. 

Bitterness is not what God would have of His children, His encouragement is to love one another.  In fact  1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love keeps no records of wrongs.  But what does a root of bitterness do?  A root of bitterness keeps detailed records of wrongs.

How do you know if you’ve got a root of bitterness growing in your heart?  One of the ways is, if someone hurts you and you can remember every word they said, or every detail of the incident, that could be an indication that you’ve got a root of bitterness. 

But it does not stop there because bitterness also has a poisonous fruit. 

What starts out as an underground job, if left unchecked, will eventually grow into fruit that everyone will see, and it will hurt many people. 

Here are some of the fruits of bitterness. 
We easily see the bad in others. 
We feel justified in criticizing and gossiping about these people. 
We secretly celebrate their misfortunes. 
We bring many others in on the bitterness by creating very dangerous and strategic alliances. 

But the author of Hebrews agrees with Paul who tells us...
·    Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV) 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Kill this root of bitterness that is growing inside us with compassion and forgiveness.

LIFE APPLICATION
Father help me to love like you love.  I will attack the root of this problem by choosing to love those who have offended me and to forgive them.  Let my life be an example of what it means to live in a community characterized by love.  Lord for so many others I know who are struggling with bitterness and unforgiveness, will you help them deal with it so that they can live a life that is truly pleasing to You?  Thank you for forgiving me and showing me such great compassion.  Freely I have received so now I freely give.

Hebrews 11

SCRIPTURE
"by faith…"

OBSERVATION
The Christian walk is one of faith.  WIthout faith we cannot even begin to live a life that pleases God.  WIthout faith we will falter in our commitment to serving God.

UNDERSTANDING
So what exactly is faith?  If it is foundational to our relationship with God, then what exactly is it?  It is believing that God's Word is true even when the circumstances say differently.  The Bible is filled with men and women, who in the face of contradictory circumstances, did not give up on what God had called them to, but took God's Word as the truth and lived as though it was true.  Imagine Noah building an ark where there was no lake or body of water…because God spoke to him and he believed God's Word.

Imagine Abraham taking his one and only son to be offered as a sacrifice because God spoke to him and he believed God's Word that God would provide Himself a sacrifice.

Imagine us today facing future with hope and peace because God's Word tells us that He will provide and take care of us, so instead of us panicking and trying to do things on our own we trust Him.  

Too many times it is our lack of faith to believe that God is in control that leads us to make crazy decisions that cause us great harm.  Trust God and stay the course.

LIFE APPLICATION
Lord  i want to please you!  Let me do so by taking you at your Word.  Walking in the confidence that you will continue to take care of me as I walk in your paths.  I choose to not be thrown off course by the circumstances of life, but in quiet confidence I will continue to walk in your ways.

 

Hebrews 10

SCRIPTURE
10:¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² 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. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. ²⁵ 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.

OBSERVATION
There are really only two responses we have when we discover the good news of Jesus.  We can either accept this truth and our lives must begin to reflect the change in that belief, or we don't accept it and we walk away from it.

UNDERSTANDING
The writer tells us that if we believe in the good news of Jesus and accept it, the work of salvation is done but now there is a life change that must take place in response to this belief.  The author tells his readers that having experienced the finished work of our High Priest, Jesus, we now have a way straight to God so we need to take advantage of it.  We need to draw near to God allowing Him to work on us from the inside out.  No outward actions that didn't reflect the inward attitude - we are confidently standing before God because we are clean starting on the inside and followed by the outward manifestations of the inward work. 
Not only should our actions be sincere, but he tells us that now that we are given salvation we should stay committed to the faith that we profess.  Finish the race, stay the course, be true to Christ.  And to help us stay the course he encourages us to meet regularly together to encourage one another to stay the course and to creatively and determinedly love one another.

LIFE APPLICATION
The belief and acceptance of God's gift of salvation should lead us to life change.  Our actions should follow our beliefs.  If we truly believe what Jesus has done for us then it should lead to a change in what we do.  We would begin to see a change in our attitudes, in our thinking (that is now being influenced by God).  We would not think about giving up because the road got a little hard and in order to stay the course we would make it a priority to meet with other believers regularly.  (Makes a good case for Sundays and GROW groups) 
Lord I believe that your work is complete and I accept it, now may my life reflect that belief.

Hebrews 9

SCRIPTURE
9: ¹¹ 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. ¹² 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. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ 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!

OBSERVATION
Two observations - God never asks us to give up something without HIm offering something so much better in return.
The other is that once we have experienced the once and for all forgiveness, that focuses on an inward work rather than an outward one, we find that we are now freed up to truly live for and serve God.

UNDERSTANDING
God always offers us something so much better than what we have.  In fact, what we hold on so tightly to is always a shadow, a counterfeit of what God is offering.  The old sacrifices were temporary and didn't do the work of truly cleaning us from the inside out, yet still the Jews were holding on to it not wanting to let it go.  Worried more about people and fitting in rather than caring about what God desired for them.  So what happened is that they were so busy trying to do all these outward acts they had no real time to serve God and truly live for Him and in His freedom.

LIFE APPLICATION
How true for me today as well.  I tend to hold on to things that God is asking me to give up, I cling tightly to them.  I forget that God never asks us to give up something without offering us something better in return.  Abraham is an example.  God asked him to leave his homeland and family and go to a place that would be his inheritance.  Had Abraham stayed in his homeland he would not have experienced the amazing bounty of God's blessing.  He believed God and took Him at His word and received a great and incredible inheritance.  It was called faith. 

Lord, by faith I will release the things you are asking me to release because You have something so much better in store for me.  Help me to trust You, to walk in faith and obedience, even when it seems like what I am giving up seems more than what I am getting.  I want to please you and your word tells us that without faith it is impossible to please you.

Hebrews 8

SCRIPTURE
8:¹ 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...

OBSERVATION
Jesus' priestly work of dying on the cross was a once an for all sacrifice that was perfect.  Nothing else is needed.

UNDERSTANDING
In the Old Testament system of the priesthood with all of its sacrifices and offerings the priest's job was never done.  The sacrifices they offered for the atonement for people's sins were not permanently effective, it had to be repeated over and over again.  In other words the priest never sat down.  In building the temple there was no provision made for the priests to sit down in the temple, because they were on duty.  When Jesus, our High Priest, offered His sacrifice, however, He sat down.  Why?  Because his work was done, the sacrifice He made was perfect and eternal.  Probably why He could say, "It is finished!"  In His act of sacrifice He made provision for the forgiveness of our sins and our reconciliation with God.  The author makes it clear, Jesus sat down because as our High Priest He had accomplished all that needed to be accomplished. 

LIFE APPLICATION
It is funny that even though Jesus' sacrifice was complete and we have everything we need to be reconciled with God, just like the Jews that Hebrews is addressed to, we feel that we must add to Jesus' completed work.  We think that somehow His work is incomplete unless we do some more stuff ourselves. But the truth is clear - Jesus' work on the cross is a finished work - so much so that He could sit down because it was done.  Our salvation is available because Jesus paid the price totally and completely.  Thank you God.
Now that I have been completely set free by Jesus' finished work on the cross, the least I can do is to commit to live my life totally and completely for Him.  Lord may my life reflect my gratitude and love because of all that you have so perfectly done for me.

Hebrews 7

SCRIPTURE
7:15 (TMSG) "But the Melchizedek story provides a perfect analogy..."

OBSERVATION
God is not haphazard, everything He does has a reason, and although we may not understand what is happening in the moment, the implications are far-reaching.

UNDERSTANDING
In the Old Testament there are certain things that are done or introduced that have parallel in the New Testatment.  In theology it is called typology and it is specifically Old Testament type and New Testament antitype.  The type, though it is historical, real, and of God, is imperfect and temporary. The antitype, on the other hand, is perfect and eternal.  The bronze snake, that God commanded Moses to make so that when it was lifted up, anyone looking at it experienced deliverance, symbolized Jesus who when He was lifted up on the cross brought deliverance to all mankind.  Another example would be the lamb used in the Old Testament sacrificed so that the people's sins would be forgiven.  Again, Jesus is the perfection of that lamb in the New Testament.  Now we discover Melchizedek, another OT type that gives us understanding of Jesus in the NT. 

There is so much other theological stuff in here I can find but today I am just amazed at a God who is so detailed in His planning that nothing is done without reason, even if the reason is to help us understand Him just a little bit more.

LIFE APPLICATION
Father, when I discover how detailed you are I realize that I don't have to worry about what is taking place, because you are in control.  I can trust you and your plans because nothing does not happen without a reason, and in the end I will discover you to a greater degree.  As I am impacted by this part of who you are I have confidence as your child that my times are in your hands.  You are truly an awesome God.

Hebrews 5

SCRIPTURE
5:11-12... you have become dull of hearing.  For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

OBSERVATION
Spiritual maturity,(whether that is hearing the gospel and coming to salvation or that is walking along the road of sanctification) is stunted when we are dull of hearing.

UNDERSTANDING
The word translated dull carries the literal translation of "no push."  Another word that could be used is laziness.  While it can mean stupid, I don't think that this is what the writer was saying to the readers. 

Dull of hearing I believe carries the understanding of people who hear the truth but are lazy or sluggish in responding to it.  The spiritually dull person in this passsage is difficult to teach because they are lazy, they do not follow through on what they have been taught and therefore there is no life transformation happening.  They are not growing in their spiritual maturity.  They keep going over the same ground over and over again. 

What happens when people are spiritually dull?  
They become more and more hardened to the spiritual truth and it's understanding.  It is like an innoculation.  In order to create a vaccine a little of the virus is used in order for the body to build up antibodies aganist it.  The person is injected with the vaccine and the body gets a little of the virus and build up an immunity to it.  The same can be true of those who are spiritually lazy - they hear a little of the truth and because they don't act on it and allow transformation to occur, they build up an immunity to the truth. 

LIFE APPLICATION
We need to be hearers and doer of the Word of truth.  The transformation is completed as we respond in action to God's Word. 

Father help me not to be lazy, slothful, sluggish, slow to respond to Your truth.  I want to grow spiritually and not be satisfied with the basics.  I want to dig into the deeper truths of your Word.  Forgive me for being dull of hearing at times because I don't want to put in the discipline or time, or even because I don't want to act in faith on truth you gave me.

 

Hebrews 4

SCRIPTURE
4:¹ 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. ² 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.

OBSERVATION
God's "rest" is promised to us but to receive that rest we must have faith that God will do what He says He will do.

UNDERSTANDING
The writer of Hebrews continues the warning to informed but unresponsive Jews that began in 3:7. These Jews knew the basic truths of the gospel and yet still they did not really trust in Christ. The warning applies to anyone who is hesitating in committing fully to Jesus Christ.

The Israelites had left Egypt, but they often longed to go back. They refused to trust the Lord completely and the old life still had an appeal to them in spite of the fact that they had been slaves. When it came to fully trusting God they stopped short and it prevented them from experience the rest of the promised land.

What is rest?
The basic idea is that of ceasing from work or from any kind of action. You stop doing what you are doing. Applied to God’s rest, it means no more self-effort as far as salvation is concerned. No more trying to be made right with God by our works. Rest also means freedom from whatever worries or disturbs you. To enter God’s rest means to be at peace with God, to possess the perfect peace He gives. It means to be free from guilt and unnecessary feelings of guilt. It means freedom from worry about sin, because sin is forgiven. God’s rest is the end of legalistic works and the experience of peace in the total forgiveness of God.
 Rest also means to lean on. To enter into God’s rest means that for the remainder of our lives and for all eternity we can lean on God. We can be sure that He will always support us. As recipients of this "rest" we can depend on Him for everything—for support, for health, for strength, for all we need. It is a relationship in which we are confident and secure that we have committed our life to God and that He holds it in perfect, eternal love. It is a relationship that involves being settled and fixed. No more floating around. .

And all of this is available to the disciple of Christ if we accept it in faith.   Before we see it we accept that it will be.  It is being absolute sure of what we can only see in reverse.  It is taking hold of God's "rest" long before it becomes the reality of our lives.

LIFE APPLICATION
Lord help those who live suspended between two worlds to cross the line into a life commited to you.  Let them see that your rest is worth everything they feel is valuable that they have to give up.  So often we look at slavery and dysfunction fondly and want to go back to it instead of commiting to a new life with you.  Thank you that by faith I am forgiven, cleansed, declared holy and given the rights of sonship.  By faith Father I will accept this gift offered and walk in a way that reflects my new status as child of God, forgiven son, and trusted partner.

Hebrews 3

SCRIPTURE
Hebrews 3:^15-19For who were the people who turned a deaf ear? Weren't they the very ones Moses led out of Egypt? And who was God provoked with for forty years? Wasn't it those who turned a deaf ear and ended up corpses in the wilderness? And when he swore that they'd never get where they were going, wasn't he talking to the ones who turned a deaf ear? They never got there because they never listened, never believed.

OBSERVATION
There is a world of difference between knowing the truth  about God and His Son Jesus and committing your life to living under His Lordship.

UNDERSTANDING
Based on the illustration of Israel’s unbelief in the wilderness, an appeal is made to the readers of Hebrews not to follow this example. It is a warning against rejecting truth that is known. The judgment of the wilderness days fell on those who rejected God’s Word through Moses, and the warning here is to those who reject God’s Word in Christ.

The greatest sin in the world is unbelief. It is the greatest offense against God and brings the greatest harm to ourselves. These people were informed about the gospel. Many, probably even professed to be Christians. None were probably aggressively against Christ; but they all were against Him. You see no matter how close a person may be to accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, if he never comes to Him, he still has an evil, unbelieving heart. His punishment will be all the more severe because of his knowledge of the living God. When you have heard the truth of Jesus Christ, when you have acknowledged that it is the truth, and then turn your back and walk away from Him, there is nothing God can do. Once you have heard the gospel and understood its claims, and then say no to Jesus Christ, you have fallen away.

LIFE APPLICATION
There is a difference between knowing the truth and committing to living for God.  I think that the church probably has a lot of people who are in this category - they know about God but they have not committed their lives to God.  In essence they think that they are Christ-followers because they know.  They show up at church, sing the songs, talk the lingo, even show up at a GROW group at times but they have not yet crossed the line and truly committed their lives to Christ and it shows in their priorities and choices.  Are you truly a  Christ-follower or do you just know who He is?

Father help those who have not committed themselves to You and Your Son to step over the line into true belief and faith.