Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the Hall of Faith.  It includes many of the heroes of our faith found throughout the Old Testament.  I encourage you to take a few moments and read the whole chapter but I have included a good section of it here.  Let’s take a look at it together today.

17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones. 23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. 32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

We could speak again and again of many of the remarkable acts of faith performed by this group and others.  For our purposes today I want to focus on the last two verses.  While certainly God used these people to do amazing things throughout the Bible none of them had the benefit that we have today.  None of them experienced the Messiah.  None of them heard of His conquering of sin by His death and resurrection.  None of them had the benefits of His teaching.  They had faith in a promise that was yet to be fulfilled but we have faith in a God who has already done the work of redemption and reconciliation in our lives.  If God can use that group to do such amazing things imagine what He can do through us if we simply have faith and are willing to be used by Him. 

People go to church for a variety of reasons.  Many go to worship God and be encouraged by Scripture.  Some go to see friends and experience community.  Some go to have an opportunity to serve.  Others go out of a sense of tradition or a habit.  Did you know the Bible tells us to go for another purpose?  One of our goals and commands is to go to church regularly so we can spur one another on in love and good works.  Let’s look together at what the author of Hebrews says about this in Hebrews 10. 

Therefore, brothers and sisters, any go 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 and with the full assurance that faith brings, 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 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

It’s interesting the word used here spur in its original Greek literally means to provoke.  We are told to provoke one another into love and good works.  That requires being together.  I love how online church has made worship so accessible.  I dislike how it can make it harder to do things like spur one another on or encouraging each other or even experiencing the community that we were created for.  Next Sunday make it a point to head to church if you are able and provoke someone into love it’s what we are told to do. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

When I was a teen I had a good friend that was often getting into trouble.  Nothing to serious but given a number of choices he often chose the wrong ones.  His parents, and in particular his mom, really loved me and encouraged him to hang out with me all the time.  I often found myself interceding on his behalf to his mother to get him out of trouble.  It typically worked because at that point in my life I was a pretty good kid who loved Jesus and tried to get him to do the right thing (most of my bad choices as a teen happened earlier).  Typically he would do something to get in trouble and I would come over because he was grounded and I was the only person allowed over.  I would sit down with his mom and strike a deal where I’d keep him out of trouble if we could go do something.  It usually worked.  The author of Hebrews reminds us in chapter 7 that Jesus fulfills this very same role for us.  He is constantly interceding on our behalf to God.  Let’s look at the passage together today.

Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

Jesus’ death on the cross means that our sins are forever taken care of but the Bible paints a picture of Jesus and the Holy Spirit interceding to God on our behalf.  Praying for us, talking about us and helping us to be more like Him. How good to know that Jesus loves us and is at work to see the very best happen in our lives. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever had someone break a promise to you?  Sometimes we almost expect that from those who are not close to us like a salesperson, or a driver with the promise of a turn signal blinking.  Those are insignificant but when someone we love and trust breaks a promise it can hurt.  There was a movie called Liar Liar with Jim Carey where something happened to him where he became incapable of breaking a promise.  It was a funny look at the importance of being a person of your word.  What if someone was truly incapable of lying or breaking a promise?  The Bible tells us in Hebrews 6 that is the case with God.  Let’s look at it together today. 

When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. 16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 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. 18 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 set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

God’s promises are perfect.  Think about that for a moment, perfect.  That means when He says He will never leave us of forsake us it means that He will ALWAYS be with us not simply try to unless something comes up at work.  When He says He casts our sins as far as the East is from the West they are gone.  When He says nothing in all of life can separate us from His love it means nothing can.  God’s promises are absolute.  Take some time in prayer today thanking God for His great promises and rest in the fact that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can be trusted.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

In our continued walk through the book of Hebrews we come to chapter 5.  Jesus is our great high priest and the author compares Him to other priests who offer sacrifices and prayers for their sins and then for ours.  Jesus did not need to do that because He was without sin.  He took our sins upon Himself to conquer sin once for all time.  Let’s look at the passage together today.

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”6 And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

The beauty of Jesus as our great high priest is that He essentially made that role no longer necessary.  Before Jesus the job of the Priest was to be an intermediary between humans and God.  When Jesus conquered sin with His death on the cross the veil tore between God and man.  We now can, by the blood of Jesus, go directly to God 24/7/365. Jesus made it possible for everyone to have a connection to God directly.  He ended the need for sacrifices because He became our sacrifice once for all time.  He took our sin upon Himself and paid the penalty that we deserved to pay.  Thank Him today for that incredible gift!

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Today we continue our journey through the book of Hebrews in chapter 4.  Perhaps one of the best known verses in the book of Hebrews is Hebrews 4:12.  It speaks of the word of God being living and active sharper than a double edged sword.  To me it is very interesting how the author follows that up immediately with a reference to Jesus, our great high priest.  Let’s look at the passage together today. 

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 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. 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

For many of us today we may not grasp the significance of these two things coming together.  The word or law exists to show us how to live and the author emphasizes its ability to expose our hearts and sin.  Jesus came to be our great high priest and reconcile us to God in the midst of our sin.  This in turn leads us to verse 16 where we approach God’s throne of grace with confidence to receive the grace and mercy that we need.  This is the story of the Bible told in a few brief verses.  God provides us with His word, we fall short, Jesus intervenes, and we can boldly come to God reconciled by the blood of Jesus.  Approach God boldly today and thank Him for both His word which guides us and Jesus’ work which rescues us. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,” bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.

The common themes of Hebrews are that Jesus is better than … everything and that we need to fix our thoughts, our gaze, and our presence on Him.  It is a similar concept to Jesus’ own words to His disciples in the vine and branches passage in John 15 when He tells us all to abide or remain in Him.  Moses certainly was extremely foundational in building of the Jewish and Christian faith.  That faith however is all about Jesus.  Jesus is our Messiah, our Savior, our conqueror of sin and death and our friend.  The more we abide in Him the greater God uses us to produce fruit in our lives and the more our lives represent the love He calls us to share.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever been somewhere and a message was given with a sense of urgency that you can’t miss this.  K Mart used to do their blue light special so that everyone would see the great deal.  Businesses often will rent a spotlight to shine in the sky to make sure people see what is going on.  Now we have people spinning g signs outside of businesses and of course the wavy inflatable man to attract attention (we actually have one of those here at Advent that we have used for special events).  We get an announcement at the beginning of Hebrews 2 about how important it is to listen to the message of Jesus.  Let’s look at the passage together today. 

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. …9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

We are told to pay special attention because of the importance of the message and so that we will not drift away.  Drifting is our natural course.  We have to work and be intentional to not drift.  In a boat you must anchor or use your motors to hold a position.  If not the current and waves will move you away from where you want to be.  The very same is true in our faith journey.  Unless we are anchored to Jesus and His message we will drift.  Unless we are actively fighting against the waves and currents of life we will just float along.  The author of Hebrews reminds us of just how important the message of Jesus is to help us hold our position.  Hold fast to the message of Jesus and you will stand firm.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave