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Hebrews 9 - The Importance of the Tabernacle Then and Now!

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 9   Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle 9 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. 6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ...
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Hebrews 8 - What Was New About the "New Covenant"?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 8 7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said[b]:  “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.  9 It will not be like the covenant  I made with their ancestors  when I took them by the hand  to lead them out of Egypt,  because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,  and I turned away from them,  declares the Lord.  10 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.  11 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’  because they will all know me,...
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Hebrews 7 - Jesus Is the Superior Priest!

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 7 For it is declared:  “You are a priest forever,  in the order of Melchizedek.”18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. 20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’” 22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant. 23 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[c] 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 ab...
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Hebrews 6 - Let's Move Beyond Elementary School!

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 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,[a] and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.  These verses contain both a call to grow to maturity and also a warning to those who fallen away from the faith. The term " backsliders " has been used in our day. The writer urgest them to move beyond the elementary teachings of Christ.  What does that mean?   Someone has likened it to moving past the "ABC's" and "Times Tables" to spelling, writing and solving math problems. He uses the example of " repentance from acts that lead to death " and " faith in God ".  Today we might characterize this as someone who comes into a personal relationshi...
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Hebrews 5 - Who is King Melchizedek And Why Is He Important?

  Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 5 5 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 r...
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Hebrews 4 - Where Do You Find True Rest?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 4 A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God 4 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 good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,  “So I declared on oath in my anger,  ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”  And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”  6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, ...
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Hebrew 3 - The Power of "Today!"

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 3 Overview of Hebrews 3 12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. The author calls the Hebrews, his holy brothers and sisters, showing us his personal relationship with them. The author uses the ministry of Moses, one of the most important figures in the Old Testament. Moses was obedient and built God's house, but Jesus is the ruler and owner of God's house. Though Moses delivered the Israelites through the Red Sea, the Israelites forgot about it and soon rebelled in the desert worshipping other gods.  Since he is writing to a Jewish audience, he uses this example to warn the Hebrews of falling into the same trap their ancestors did....
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