The Ken Read Podcast

0730 THE GREAT HIGH PRIEST

JULY 30 = HEBREWS 5

THE GREAT HIGH PRIEST

Back in the second chapter, the author introduced Jesus as the great high priest. I didn’t grow up in a church where we had priests, so I didn’t have a full appreciation for what a priest was there to do. But let’s just say it’s a big deal.

At the end of chapter 4, the subject came up again.

“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. 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. 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.”

‭‭The duty of any priest is to serve as a bridge between heaven and earth, between God and mankind. The priest represents the prayers and intentions of people before the throne of God, and then delivers to the people the message God has given in answer. It requires someone who is fully human, understanding weaknesses and fully empathizing with them, rather than someone who is holier than the rest of us, who comes before God to roll his eyes and slander God’s creation. Jesus does this work of a great high priest to perfection. He was tempted in every way, so he knows our weaknesses. And yet he did not sin, so he is able to represent us and serve as that bridge, over whom we are able to cross. And so we receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Which is always, when we are talking to a perfect creator God. Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift of Christ Jesus!

So, what does that high priest carry out in order to bring us to God? The writer elaborates:

“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. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.”

What our great high priest did was first to offer up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears. He had those earnest prayers because of his humanity, pleading to let the cup pass from him. Also he knew deeply the hearts of all people, whom he had come to save.

And our great high priest was heard because of his reverent submission to the will of his father. Even though he was a son, he came to carry out the will of another. And notice this path that he cut for us: He learned obedience from what he suffered. That’s how we learn obedience, too, you know. We suffer. It softens our hearts. It breaks our self-wills. And it makes us quicker to obey the next time.

But Jesus was always instant in his obedience. So once he was made perfect (remember how he said it is finished on the cross?), he became our source of eternal salvation and he was designated as high priest. We’ll get to Melchizedek later, but the point here is that he always stands in that position as the bridge between heaven and earth, and when we follow his path of obedience, we are able to arrive in favor with God and receiving eternal life, with our high priest!

Perhaps with Count Zinzendorf, as we enter, we can sing praise to Jesus our High Priest:

“Thou great high priest, add incense to the prayers thy saints now offer

Come hear our hearts and add thy grace to candles burning in this place

To keep us burning brightly.

An ear which always hears a prayer, an eye that blinks or sleep not

As children, Lord, we long for Thee to be our Priest with lips and feet

and lead us through our trials.

Our hands will bless, our souls convene, our bodies are Thy temple

Our souls reborn with labor pains which no one fully understands

Until this life is over.

Our Friend Thou art, thou Faithful One, come pour out spirit and fire

And every time we come and sing add incense to our offering

And hold our hands up higher

Hold our hands up higher!

0731 BACK TO BASICS

JULY 31 = HEBREWS 6

BACK TO BASICS

At the end of chapter 5, the author concluded the subject of Jesus as our great high priest by saying it is hard to understand. But the fault is not in the truth, nor in its teaching, but in the inconsistent hearts of the hearers.

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

How does a believer in Jesus come to remain immature, unable to understand the more profound teachings about Christ? The author says that for this book’s readers, they seem to “no longer try to understand.” Have you ever been there, in school or otherwise? You are being instructed in some area, but you really think that you know all you need to know, or at least all you want to know, about it. So you mentally simply stopped listening, and therefore stopped learning. So what you heard is “Jesus is (blah blah blah).”

This, the author says, is the equivalent of drinking only milk like a baby instead of solid food. Solid food is for the mature, who the author says, “through constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” So it seems to be moral and ethical matters, and not just nuances of doctrine and belief, that is the mark of spiritual maturity. 

And I agree with that assessment for my own life. When I “drift” spiritually, without giving focused attention to reading and meditating on Scripture, and then my personal habits are not guided by the Spirit training me in righteousness, then I sort of wake up some months later, thinking, “What just happened to me? How did I somehow “forget” to pray? Or focus on my inner moral life? One bad habit at a time, is the answer. The path of least resistance is the path of immaturity, you know. I ought to be a teacher by now, teaching my own children, teaching neighbors and those I come in contact with. But I am teaching no one because I am adrift.

And that’s when the writer reviews topics that they call “elementary teachings.” Hmmm. I wonder if I have a good grasp of these teachings myself?

“Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.”

These are “elementary teachings!” So far from Master’s level work, it is still second grade level. And yet, in American Christian culture, several of these are simply not a part of our cultural vocabulary within the church, so we only imagine that we know what that topic says. Let’s see what those six basic topics are:

Repentance from acts that lead to death. … We know about this, at least with regard to our original conversion experience. As for me, I was just 12 years old when I responded to the Gospel and to making Jesus the Lord of my life. I knew I needed to turn over a new leaf and get a fresh start, but I did not fully appreciate the radical changes that were implied. I needed to clean up my vocabulary. To change friends. Stop doing vandalism and subscribing to certain magazines. Treat people differently behind their backs. All of these and more were “acts that lead to death.” Jesus is either Lord of all of our lives, or he is not lord at all. Lord means master, and that means we say Yes when he tells us to jump.

Faith in God … This is also pretty foundational, wouldn’t you say? It is the kind of basic faith that we should have built in those early years. But faith takes on some much more mature roles when we are praying for the needy, or wondering about finances or healing, or turning prayers into a kind of “group worries list,” rather than a source of our requests. Faith trusts that God is there and interested, even when evidence does not confirm it. Faith acts based on belief rather than using simple logic or selfish ambitions.

Instruction about cleansing rites  … The Jewish readers would understand this better than most of us would. You wash your hands before eating, and you make sure you have no contact with blood or with death. You empty your house of leaven each year, and you devote children and animals to be acceptable to God. All of these cleansing rites actually have to do with Jesus, who fulfills it all. So knowing the background of why and how, and then learning how Jesus accomplishes our cleansing, is certainly worthy of advanced study, as well as foundational basics.

Instruction about laying on of hands. … Laying on of hands was a Jewish practice, both in the slaughter of animals by the priests, and also of the priests and others dedicated to God. The laying on of hands of elders and evangelists we have seen in recent letters of Paul. It includes prophetic declarations and charges given in the presence of witnesses. Jesus laid hands on children as he blessed them. We lay hands on those whom we heal in Jesus’ name.

The resurrection of the dead… Jews did not have a strong theology of eternal life before the time of Jesus. They slept with their fathers, and they left an inheritance in their own children and family. They believed in heaven, but not necessarily as the eternal home of the saints. Jesus changed all this as well by his own resurrection. It proves that the resurrection of the dead is possible, and provides a path for that resurrection. This single teaching may be the most life-changing doctrine a thousand years from now for each of us. How do we obtain to the resurrection of the dead?

Eternal judgment… This also is as significant as any other teaching. We all will face an eternal judgment, in which we long to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter the joy of your master.” But what are the implications of eternal judgment for those who are not found to be in Christ? And what are the implications for each of us, if we are choosing to remain immature in our life in Christ? How good is good enough to not be condemned? How do we avoid it? How do we help someone else avoid it? Essential questions to know the answer to.

May you and I choose to grow in grace, and may our lives demonstrate our priorities for eternity. Amen.

0801 A PRIEST FOREVER

AUGUST 1 = HEBREWS 7

MELCHIZEDEK A PRIEST FOREVER

In this chapter, the author reintroduces Melchizedek and Jesus being a high priest of his order. Let’s cover a little more about Melchizedek and see what insights about Jesus it yields.

The promise stems from Psalm 110, in which some kingly figure of Israel is given an oath from God that he will be a priest of the order of Melchizedek forever.

Abraham had just helped his nephew Lot to regain his freedom from a bunch of kings who had stolen from him. There, we are not told much about Abraham’s meeting with Melchizedek, but each detail seems to be significant. Melchy is not described in terms of his ancestry, which the author here points out makes Mechy something of an eternal figure, with no predecessors and no heirs. Jesus, being the Son of God, is of that kind of ancestry, with no beginning and no end of days.

The mysterious Old Testament figure, Melchizedek, is described as the king of Salem and also as a priest of God Most High. Salem—does that sound like the city name of Jeru-Salem? It is. And the name “Salem” means “peace.” So Jesus, being in the order of Melchy, is the king of peace. The name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness.” So Jesus, being of that order, is endless of days, is the king of people, and the king of righteousness. That makes Jesus mighty qualified to be an effective high priest, I would say.

The author then goes into some detail about Abraham offering a tithe to the Lord of all his plunder from those kings. He presents it to Melchizedek, and nothing more is really said about it. But Hebrews explains that Jesus is superior to Abraham, just as he is superior to Moses.

Then the chapter wraps up with some powerful spiritual credentials in his role as high priest. These credentials are what make Jesus effective as a high priest. He says,

“Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 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. 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.”

The priest, in order to serve as our bridge to God, needs to truly meet our need. Our need is to be restored to relationship with God, as if we had not sinned or had unclean things happen to us. So we need these qualities:

He must be holy. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. So our high priest must be set apart, sacred, not guilty, not involved in worldly affairs.

He must be Blameless. Similarly, he must be above any accusations that would be brought against him. After all, he must pray on our behalf, kill an animal and have that animal restore us to relationship with God. So getting his own sinful baggage mixed up with ours removes the effectiveness of his actions

He must be Pure. No thoughts or agendas of his own. No sexual fantasies or daydreams of wealth and status. No selfish ambition in doing his job. Someone who is readily acknowledged by the leaders of his community to be above reproach in the area of purity.

He must be Set apart. This is, as above, related to holiness. But it includes having been consecrated by the community, with hands laid on head and sacrifices given to acknowledge that this man has but one purpose in life.

And he must be Exalted above the heavens. To truly be a bridge between heaven and earth, you must be more than an occasional visitor to the heavenlies. You need to have the authority to speak for the Eternal God, so that you can declare someone forgiven, or tell them they have one more thing to do in order to be right. Jesus had that kind of exaltation and that kind of authority to declare the eternal state of a person of earth.

And so, just as we have seen that Jesus is above angels, that he is greater than Moses and his words stronger than the Law, so now we see this mysterious prophecy fulfilled from Psalm 110. God has declared his Son Jesus to be a high priest forever, of the order of Melchizedek, forever worshiped and holding the keys to restoring a right relationship with God.

Thanks be to God, who orchestrated the unfolding of history in such a way that even obscure figures and references all come together to find themselves fulfilled by Christ. Amen.

0802 A NEW COVENANT

AUGUST 2 = HEBREWS 8

A NEW COVENANT 

The first seven chapters of Hebrews have been filled with good teaching about Jesus. It has been a challenge for me as a Gentile to grasp the profound changes Jesus brought to the relationship of God to people. After all, Hebrews quotes from the Old Testament more than most books. And the Old Testament is the story of the Old Covenant, just as surely as the New Testament conveys the New Covenant.

But now in chapter 8, it all becomes clear, as the writer says that all that is written to this point was to help show that God has planned to bring a new covenant with his people all along. And it is truly good news for modern mankind! 

Once again we review that Jesus is the high priest for us, now seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. And all of this is in perfect fulfillment of the tabernacle that God had instructed Moses to build. 

“They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.””

God was the one who designed the tabernacle, because He alone is the one who knows how things are in heaven, as well as what he was planning for the future fulfillment of it all in Jesus.

And so we find the Presence hanging over the top of the ark and the altar, providing round-the-clock witness of God dwelling among his people, at the very center of their lives. He had fences built and limitations on how close people could come, knowing all the while that he was going to break down those walls and enable us to boldly enter his presence on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus, not our own.

There were animal sacrifices and lavers for cleansing, artwork and holiness and light and bread and incense, and the place called the Mercy Seat above the ark of the covenant. 

And yet, there was something missing, something wrong with the old covenant. It was built around works and rites, and it did not always result in changed hearts. And so this covenant, glorious as it was, God predicted that he would remove. He spoke through Jeremiah this powerful prophecy:

“But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 

The problem was not with the covenant itself, per se, but the fault was with the people. Their hearts remained unchanged. As the writer says, “they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.” 

Any covenant requires two parties to come to agreement, and this one-sided covenant was not tenable. So Jeremiah had the unimaginable prediction of this new, invisible covenant of the heart:

This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.””

How could all this take place? Remember how Jesus said that it was good if he would leave, so that he could send another counselor, the Holy Spirit, who would be with them and live in them forever? Remember how he told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they had received power? And then it all happened? And continued to happen throughout the New Testament era.

What about today? Does God still want to have that kind of personal relationship with each one of us today? Of course he does! And that’s just what Jeremiah and the writer of Hebrews are describing for us. 

So I don’t need to urge you to know the Lord. From the least to the greatest, we can all know him, just as we are known. Praise the Lord! Amen.

0803 HOW TO GET RID OF SIN ONCE AND FOR ALL

AUGUST 3 = HEBREWS 9

HOW TO GET RID OF SIN ONCE AND FOR ALL

This chapter of Hebrews continues with the themes that have been unfolding from the start: God speaks to us through Jesus, our salvation was obtained through Jesus, who is greater than angels, Moses, Abraham, Melchizedek and all other high priests. He is the embodiment of a new covenant, which is superior to the law of Moses, including that tabernacle and animal sacrifices that God himself had required.

The central difference between the two covenants has to do with sin that comes between us and God. The first covenant rolled back sin, reminded us of sin, gave guidelines to define sin, but did not do away with sin. The new covenant that Jesus brings is one in which sin is removed, and the Spirit of God is born in our hearts, so that we can have the power to overcome such sins in our lives. It is not a religion, but a relationship.

In the old covenant, the high priest came on the day (there is just one a year) of Atonement, with all the trappings of this approach to sin. He entered the Most Holy Place, always doing sacrifices on the way in, and bringing the blood of goats and calves with him. He sprinkled the ashes of a heifer on the bystanders, who were ceremonially unclean, so that they were “outwardly” cleansed.

But the new covenant is not like the old. In the new covenant, it is the blood of the unblemished Christ, not of animals, that carries the atonement. And it was the eternal Spirit who led Him to make such a sure offering.

When Jesus did this sacrifice of himself, it was in order to “cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” 

Today, we want to find common ground with others who agree with the ethical teachings of Jesus, who find him to be wise and learned in the ways of the Father. But note that the essential work of Christ was more than just being a good example, or teaching us how to be better people. It involved the shedding of blood, for the writer says, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” 

And there it is! It was the moment of Jesus bearing our sins upon himself, the moment when he breathed his last and when his blood was poured out. That was the moment of our deliverance, the act that is our hope.

Another way that the new covenant is superior is in its permanence. The author says, “the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.”

As I say, one flaw of the old covenant is that it rolls back the guilt of sins committed. But there are no reassuring words, or anywhere that it says we won’t need to come back to this same place again. 

But the great advantage to the new covenant is this: “[Jesus] has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Note to self: it doesn’t say that Jesus appeared “often” for “self and a few select others.” No, the author says, “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many;” 

So, if you’ve ever wondered, “How do I get rid of this sin once and for all time in my life?” There is an answer. The first part of the answer is that Jesus came as the greatest high priest on your behalf. He brought his own blood and covered your sin with it, and laid it on the seat of mercy, where it was once for all dealt with before God. There is no more, “I belong to Christ, but I have this sin barrier between me and God.” No! There is simply, “I belong.”

Then comes the bonus second healing! You are not only FORGIVEN so that you stand clean before God as his child, but you are also DELIVERED from that sin’s power over you. You have the very Spirit of God living in you, whispering to you right and wrong, empowering you to WANT to leave the old behind you and shake the dust off your shoes as you leave.

Today can be a new start. Jesus is ready to help make this Day One of the new you. All it takes is a YES vote from you. 

Welcome to FREEDOM!

0804 FAITH IS A TEAM SPORT

AUGUST 4 = HEBREWS 10

FAITH IS A TEAM SPORT

In chapter 10, the author of Hebrews summarizes the teaching already given so well to this point, but then adds another essential detail to it. 

We are each made right with God by the sacrifice of Jesus. We each receive the blessings of being in fellowship with God’s Spirit. We have his laws in our hearts and on our minds. Our sins and lawless acts he remembers no more. No more sacrifice for sin is needed, for Christ has died once and for all.

Now it is time for our response to it all. 

First, enter in. “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.”  In other words, we boldly live in a personal relationship with the God of the universe, by following the way opened up for us in Christ. No more barriers, no more walls, no more gaining favor by our gifts.

Second, draw near. “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.”  Having found ourselves dwelling there in his presence in the Holy of Holies, we have a further invitation to do what no Jew has done since Abraham, which is to be a friend of God. I come near with a sincere heart. No mixed motives. No self-serving deals. We come with faith that leaves us with no doubt that God is on our side. We come with a clear conscience that has sprinkled our heart and washed our bodies.

Third, hold on. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Faith is not built on things we see, but on hope that we hold onto, even on the dark days. That’s because we choose to believe that God is faithful, and his promises are certain.

And then comes the part of our spiritual lives that we can easily neglect: spur one another. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,” Spurs are sharp metal motivators, you might say. This is the role that we fulfill in one another’s lives. None of us is in this race alone. We go through discouraging times, and temptations, and seasons of despair. That’s when we need someone to speak into our lives on God’s behalf, helping us to pick ourselves back up and keep moving forward. May we never forget how important we are to each other in this journey of faith.

Which leads to the next two parts of our spiritual disciplines: MEET TOGETHER, and ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER. “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.” Some Christians take their spiritual lives very seriously, but along the way they have forgotten that faith is a team sport. We do not gather together out of obligation, but we are in this together. And so, for one another’s sake, we gather together, and we speak to one another words that encourage us to keep moving forward. Isolation leads to pride, and that is not appropriate for God’s people. We desperately need those who know us best to speak loving words which the Spirit provides. This is often how we hear the voice of God, by hearing a fellow believer speak on his behalf.

And next, ENDURE. The writer adds, “—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  In that generation, persecution was a very real thing, and the Day was considered to be very much at hand. So when we go through dark times, we need each other even more. It is no time to go lick your wounds and isolate from the fellowship. When I think about what COVID-19 did to so many of us, I think this advice from Hebrews is spot on.

And lastly comes a warning: WATCH OUT! “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” How could Christ followers find themselves to fall into the hands of the living God? I suppose first by relying on their own strength and resolve, by isolating themselves, or by taking their walk with God for granted. At the final judgment, we could find ourselves facing God’s wrath rather than his well done. A neglected relationship does not remain static. We are either growing closer or drifting away from God. And it is dreadful to fall under his judgment.

May we safely walk together through this world and into Emmanuel’s land. Amen.

0805 WHAT IS FAITH?

AUGUST 5 = HEBREWS 11

WHAT IS FAITH?

Faith is something of an abstract concept, to begin with. And when we describe most religions in the world, all using that same word (the Catholic faith, Ba’hai faith, Mormon, Jewish, etc.), it gets even more confusing.

This chapter of Hebrews uses the word more than anywhere else, and it provides multiple definitions, plus even more examples. So let’s see if we can dig down into this word, faith, and make new applications of faith in our own lives. May God use these words to strengthen the faith of each of us in every generation.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 

Faith is more than wishful thinking, and more than superstition. It is walking confidently toward what we are convinced to be true. Faith is like following a map, or simply heeding what the navigation app our phone is telling us about how to get where we want to go. Faith is like flopping down on a chair, trusting that it is going to hold your weight and take the full load. If we didn’t have faith in that chair, we would be experimenting, slowly easing ourselves down and testing it every few seconds.

This is what the ancients were commended for. 

And now comes an amazing list of examples that we sometimes call “the roll call of the faithful.” Examples from Scripture of people who demonstrated their faith by their actions.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 

To begin with, we accept that there is something behind all that we see. Faith sees the evidence and concludes that “Everything did not come from nothing,” as well as that “Everything did not come from itself.” There was both intelligence and force behind all that exists.

By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. 

Cain was a farmer who raised crops. He brought some to God. But Abel brought an animal, with blood, as God had commanded. So what shall we learn from Abel? Which one acted in faith, and which one did what was more convenient? Do what God calls for, even if it is not simplest or easiest, even if you don’t understand all the reasons for it. 

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 

We know little about Enoch, except that he walked with God. So while others were killed in the great flood, Enoch was spared all that and got a free pass from life to heaven. What are we to learn about faith from Enoch? You cannot please God without two aspects of faith: You must believe that God exists. And you must believe that God rewards those who earnestly seek him. You are doubly blessed when what you live for is something/Someone who is glad to share freely with his own.

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. 

Imagine you had never seen a boat, never seen it rain, and you were 500 years old when God came and told you that you were the only person on the planet to have his favor, so you have a hundred years to build a giant boat and save the animals and to keep humans from your family living. Would you build with holy fear? Would you become a preacher of righteousness before all those disrespectful neighbors? Or after a few decades, would you give up?

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 

Speaking of doing things before you could possibly know how it would turn out for you… how about that Abraham, huh? Abraham obeyed and left his father’s home, with no guaranteed income moved back today?

By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 

Faith sees beyond the suffering. Beyond the cultural norms. Faith gives you the intellect of a child of God, whose citizenship is not on this planet. Abraham knew that this world was not his home, and he willingly left it all. How about you and me? Do we live as if our citizenship was with God, rather than to be here on earth?

And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 

Sarah was enabled to have children despite its seeming impossibility. How did that work? She considered God to be faithful with his promise, rather than living on a back-up plan.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 

Often still living by faith even when they died, having failed to reach the thing that God may have promised them. I’m not sure how I would have responded to having not received a promise yet. Would I still be trusting that God is there and that he will keep his word, when it hasn’t truly happened for me? That’s a lot of trust, and it’s why they are examples for us.

Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 

What would cause God to be “ashamed” to be called my God? I suppose if I said that I was a follower, but yet my life was obviously filled with my own short-term, self-seeking pursuits. The same as for any today who bear the name of Christian and yet are such contradictions. You and I can be so glad that we are not like that!

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, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. 

Here is the third act of faith for which the author presents Abraham as an example. He was told to offer up Isaac as an offering. And in spite of his inner urges that no doubt screamed to not to this, Abraham went to the very edge in his obedience. Talk about obeying by faith! I believe that God can raise my son back from the dead, even though I have never seen it happen!

The chapter goes on to list many more, which we don’t have time to explore in a podcast. But at the end of the chapter comes another reminder of what it means to have faith:

 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

Not one of them actually received their promised blessing. But they kept the pace and stood their ground, finished their mission and did not back down.

And when DID they receive their promise? Not even when they were dead and gone did they get all of it. Not until Christ came and fulfilled the promise! Not until followers of Jesus became the body of Christ on earth, to carry out his will and continue to hear his will through his Spirit within them. And now, TODAY is the appointed time.

What a privilege it is to live in this new covenant. Thank the Lord that every promise is fulfilled in Christ. 

May you and I follow in their footsteps. Amen.

0806 PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP

AUGUST 6 = HEBREWS 12

WHAT’S IT THEREFORE?

We come to the final chapter of Hebrews, and it is again laden with powerful and challenging words. You might say that this is the practical application section of the book. It begins with the word “therefore.” And as I have heard Bible scholars say, we must always look to see what the “therefore” is there for.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…,” 

In the last chapter we read the “role call of the faithful,” and saw many practical ways that faith is seen in life. Those faith-filled saints serve as a great gathering of what we might call “witnesses,” that at the matter of two or three witnesses, every matter should be established. And because they are watching, and because they themselves have set such a high standard for faith, we are going to be called to learn from and even to follow their example.

“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. 

Because of their example, we also are to throw off everything that hinders us. Any besetting sins, expensive indulgences, selfish habits, lazy routines, they all will hinder us. Let our every moment, our every possession be what yields for us treasure in heaven. As we run, we recognize the cloud of witnesses in the stands, cheering us on and inspiring us. But the One we are running toward is not them. The One we have fixed our eyes upon is the one who has gone before us and made a way for us to get to the Father. It is Jesus, the one who pioneered and perfected the path for us.

What was that path like for Jesus? Glad you asked! 

For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Jesus was focused on the joy set before him. Reunion with the Father. The feast to come with his chosen Bride. The kingdom coming to earth. That focus of his was so strong that Jesus was willing to endure even the cross, the worst torture ever invented. But Jesus endured it. 

In fact, the writer says that Jesus scorned the shame of the cross. The cross was a very public execution, designed to bring the ultimate humiliation and shame on the subject. Jesus saw past all that to see a more attractive future, beyond this life and his suffering and shame. And so He sat down at the right hand of the Father, which of course means that Jesus is part of the Almighty One’s authority and honor.

Some verses later, the writer gives these essential instructions, that we might call practical worship:

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone…”

If you are like me, you kind of skip over this and say, “I think I’m a pretty nice guy. I’m not looking for any fights or to make any enemies. What’s next on the list?

But wait a second! It says to “Make every effort,” not just to be a nice guy. That sounds like this must be far more difficult than I might imagine. Every effort? Everyone? Go way out of my way to understand their worldview. Go out of my comfort zone in order to be where they are.

“…and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

We have seen this command multiple times in Scripture, to be holy. But as with the command to be at peace, so maybe we should look more closely at this one, as well. “Be holy.” That means to be set apart, separated from the common things of this world. Am I giving that the kind of moment-by-moment attention that it deserves? It sure seems important to be set apart for the Lord.

In fact, it is so important that the writer reminds us that without holiness, no one will see the Lord. Weren’t we just talking about faith? I guess holiness is a very practical aspect of faith. If I believe that there is a God, and that God is holy, then I spend my earthly days trying to imitate his holiness, not to simply try to fit in.

So let me review for a moment. Be at peace with everyone. Yet be set apart and unlike the world. I guess this is being in the world but not of it.

“..See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God …”

How would I fall short of the grace of God? Perhaps to take it so for granted that it’s almost as if I had earned his grace. I guess that’s like not being holy.

“…and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

What is a bitter root? How could it defile me? Bitterness can arise in me when I feel that I have been mistreated by someone, maybe by “the system” itself. I nurse the wound in my heart, rehearse the wrong in my head, and it takes root in me. I am no longer motivated by love, but by revenge, anger, hatred. I am judgmental, but view myself as discerning. I have an inner rage, which I think comes out as righteous indignation. But in truth, there is a bitter root growing up inside me. 

Perhaps I am even bitter toward God. I stopped trusting him when I feel like he betrayed me. I might think that I have an appropriate fear of God, but I don’t recognize that it’s not so much fear as it is that I don’t feel loved by the Almighty.

When this bitter root grows up in me, it causes trouble and it defiles me. Rather than my being holy, I have become cynical, or grumpy, or I have simply stopped disciplining myself because I just don’t care enough. So I am defiled. Defiled with lust, or drunkenness, or selfishness, or whatever the temptation is that I no longer deny myself the pleasure of.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, 

Be thankful. I like that. It sounds like the opposite of bitter.

and so worship God acceptably 

We all worship, all the time. The question is whether or not our worship is “acceptable” or not. Some of us worship the wrong God. Others worship the right God but in the wrong way. Either of those errors in worship make the worship “unacceptable” to God. So if I worship without thanksgiving, I guess that’s another “unacceptable” form of worship.

And here is another way to worship acceptably: 

with reverence and awe, 

When we have done away with bitterness, have thrown off every encumbrance to run well, and then worship with reverence and awe, we have begun to worship acceptably, in a way that pleases God. The reverence and awe are especially important, because of this final phrase of the book:

for our “God is a consuming fire.””

He is to be feared. He is to be loved. He has the power and the holiness to be a consuming fire if we get it wrong. So let us learn, as the Italian peninsula Hebrews did back in the first century, to honor the Lord and be in right relationship with him. 

And let us tell the world what we know. For our God is a consuming fire, and we would want none to perish, but all come to have eternal life. Amen.

0807 DOING GOD’S WILL

AUGUST 7 = HEBREWS 13

DOING GOD’S WILL

And now we arrive at the final chapter of Hebrews. As we do so, the writer gives final exhortations and instructions and greetings. And, just as with chapter 12, there are so many very practical sayings that it seems each one is worthy of comment. So I will be brief in my commentary and review some of those quick sayings. Ready? Go!

1. Love one another. And just as you are not to neglect meeting together, so the author says do not give up loving one another. This is how the world will know that we are his followers, you know. So keep on loving as a family.
2. Also love strangers. We use the word hospitality, which has to do with housing, feeding, practical caring, and in general helping people who are strangers. Some people have found themselves to have ministered to angels, like Abraham did when a couple of angels visited him on their way to Sodom. As the Benedictines say, treat every guest as if that person were Jesus.
3. Remember those in prison. Some are there for being believers. Some because of debt or because of some unfair judgment against them. Some are there for doing wrong. Remember them all. Pray for them. Think of how you would want people to remember you if you were the one in prison, and do that for those you know who are in jail right now.
4. Honor marriage. Don’t be involved in sexual encounters before getting married, or with any adulterous relationships while you are married. Even widows and singles and elderly people. Honor marriage, everyone. And keep that marriage bed pure, by your speech as well as your actions. God will judge dishonoring marriage.
5. Be content. Free yourself from the love of money (and of what money can do). Be content with what you have, not giving in to envy or greed. God is giving you what you need, and he will never leave you or forsake you.
6. Pray for your leaders in Christ. Whoever first spoke the word of God to you, as well as those who continue to mentor you and challenge you spiritually. Give careful consideration to the outcome of their way of life, and make those same choices yourself. Imitate their faith. When in doubt, copy what you see in those leaders.
7. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Culture changes. People change. Time leaves a stamp on us all. But Jesus never changes. Get to know Jesus very well, and see if you can be culturally relevant and yet wholly devoted to him.
8. Offer continual praise. Because Jesus remains the same, through him you can continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise. Praise is the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. Sing praise. Speak praise. Pray praise. Whatever you do, turn every moment into an opportunity to speak to God your thanksgiving.
9. Do good to others. Whether they are friends, enemies or simply strangers, do not forget to do good and to share with others. There is nothing in it for you. But know that such sacrifices as these are pleasing to God. Just as we want our worship to be acceptable, we want our deeds and gifts to bring God pleasure. 
10. Trust your leaders. Have confidence in those who are over you in the Lord. Heed what they say, and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. 
11. Do God’s will. The God of peace will equip you with all you need to do what God wants. He does it through the blood of the eternal covenant in Jesus. He brought Jesus back from the dead. And may that great Shepherd of the sheep equip you with everything good for doing his will.
12. Do what pleases God. May he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

0808 WELCOMING TRIALS

AUGUST 8 = JAMES 1

WELCOME TRIALS

The book of James is the first of the letters in the New Testament referred to as the General Epistles. The author is James, who was one of the brothers of Jesus. James did not believe in the divinity of his older brother during Jesus’ time of ministry, but became a believer after the resurrection of Jesus. This letter James addresses to “the twelve tribes scattered among the nations,” which is a way of referring to the church as the spiritual continuation of Israel as the people of God, no doubt also including Gentiles in the group. He seems to be delivering a collection of proverbs and other short sayings that address practical expressions of faith in daily life. So let’s explore what James has to say to us today.

Considering the relationship between James and his older brother Jesus, it is both astonishing and totally appropriate that he would identify himself as “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” as he opens the letter. Though he could have pulled out some impressive credentials, the only relationship with Jesus that matters is to be “a servant.”

Speaking of appropriate perspectives on life, the very first topic James opens with is to “consider it pure joy” when you face various trials. Pure joy? Not even a hint to say that really he’s just trying to find the silver lining behind the obvious dark storm cloud? And why not? Because trials are actually good for us to become “mature and complete.” That’s right. 

Somehow, the worst of circumstances serves to “test our faith.” That’s because it “produces perseverance.” If we didn’t have to endure trials, how patient would we be, for example? If we didn’t have to endure our faith being tested, how would we know how to answer someone who is needing to hear wisdom? So James reminds us that the only real way to grow is through trials.

I don’t suppose there are many parents who would disagree with the logic here. Most parents know that giving their child every little thing they want makes a child remain immature, spoiled and with unrealistic expectations in life. So it is best for the child if they are at least occasionally denied what they want.

In fact, just a few verses later, James says that the fruit of persevering under trials is to receive “the crown of life” from the Lord. So hang in there, child of God. Tough times cannot keep you from your eternal reward.

And then, as if to balance these hard sayings, James reminds us that “every good and perfect gift is from above.” They are true blessings, not just toys and trinkets, and they are given from the loving heart of the Almighty.

James then mentions several common sins of the tongue. Here they are without commentary:

1. When tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” Good advice for the most cynical among us.
2. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. That requires extreme self-control.
3. Do not merely listen to the word. Do what it says. If you don’t, you merely deceive yourself.
4. Keep a tight rein on your tongue. Otherwise, your religion “is worthless.”

And finally I must mention this pithy sentence: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

If your religious practice is made up of reading your Bible and praying, but those readings and prayers do not result in putting a tight rein on your tongue, you deceive yourself, and your religion is worthless.

Instead of just focusing on what to stay away from, James gives a brief practical list: 

1. “look after orphans in their distress.
2. “Look after widows in their distress.”
3. Keep yourself from being polluted by the world.”

Do these three things, and your religion will be worth something. Praise the Lord for such practical wisdom to help us keep our balance. Amen.