Hebrews 8

**Hello again, we  are doing an amazing job working our way through Hebrews.Deep stuff and a great weaving of the OT and the NT. Just one new thought….you guys are really quiet this year, no comments, no confusion…..is anybody out there? I am especially hoping you are using the blog site, color is beautiful, more room for comments,Hint HInt, and we hope to have a short video now and then starting the first of the year. Encourage us w your feedback!

Now on w the show! Our review of Hebrews so far shows us that Jesus is greater. Greater than angels, Moses, Melchizedek and the whole Levitical priesthood. Let’s look at chapter 8 and see further comparison of the Levitical priesthood and Christ. **

Heb.8.1-13.ESV Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.

**Compare the Holy place where Jesus ministers to the Levites place of serving.**

For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer.

**earthly priest offerings are limited and,well, earthly…**

Now if he(Jesus)  were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”

**We have talked about the comparison of the earthly Tabernacle and its furnishings. Where did the pattern come from? It came from the Holy place where Jesus serves, see v 1.**

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.

**Better covenant, better promises, lasting results this time. The existence of the Old Covenant was essential to our teaching and understanding that we need God to save us. Earthly offerings without Jesus, have no eternal results.**

For he (God) 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.”

This quote comes from Jeremiah 31:31-34. This is so cool!

**The first Holy place is Heaven. God lives there w the Trinity. God wants communion w us.

First earthly covenant in a tent in the desert w some furniture modeled after the heavenly stuff and human priests making sacrifices so man can come near to God and HE can have communion w us.(Later this furniture moved to another man made temple, first Solomon’s fabulous building , then the rebuilt  temple. These structures had space designated “the Holy place and the Holy of Holies”.)

The last earthly temple mentioned in this quote is totally human! Flesh and blood human.You and me, God living in us!!! Now that is some close communion. I know it took an amazing sacrifice to make this earthly, sinful body a worthy temple for my Lord. How about you? Think about the sacrifice it took to take away your sins, once for all, to make you a holy temple for the Lord. Grateful, that is what I am, humble and grateful.

This human, earthly temple is filled with the glory of God, just like the OT tent Tabernacle has the glory of God on the mercy seat. The light of God fills our hearts and shines out of us. Where will you take your tabernacle? What desert does God have for you to wander in? What promised land does He have for you to take possession of? Be strong and courageous. **

 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.

**We no longer live under the old covenant, the system of continual sacrifice. One sacrifice for us all. That is some amazing grace. Have a great week, love h

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Hebrews Week 7

Hello Ladies, thank you for your patience, we got a bit behind but here we go on 

chapter 6 of Hebrews! 

Actually if you look at the “therefore” we see that this line of thinking starts back in 5:11 so I have included those verses for a brief review. We started last week in chapter 5 talking about Jesus as high priest, then the author took a break to speak to the present state of his audience...

Hebrews 5:11-About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

The challenge here is to grow up spiritually. Have you thought about what that might look like for you this week? I realize that I spend too much time telling God what I can’t do as an excuse for not doing something. But here’s the truth, I can’t, He can, I think I will let Him. That is a grown up step for me. How about you?

Heb 6.1-20.ESV Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Here is a list of elementary teachings, foundations of faith. Can you list them?

And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

This collection of verses is often the source of great controversy. It is not my purpose to tackle that discussion however the ESV study Bible has some great footnotes on these verses. Take some time and read them and see what our gracious and loving God shows you.

For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.  

A beautiful metaphor about land and rain and fruit. How have you, the land, benefited from the rain? What kind of crop yield do you have? It is simple to increase your yield, :).

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.

Our works are the outward signs of our inward change. The fact that we give God the glory for the things we accomplish. These are signs that offer us “full assurance”.

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

We have God’s promise and His oath regarding His purpose, to bring us close to Him through His Son. That is strong encouragement.

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Our anchor and our hope enters into the Holy of Holies, our great high priest, Jesus. That is one fine promise.Have a great week, love h