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Hebrews 7 - Jesus Is Always Praying for You!

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 7 Melchizedek the Priest 7 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. Melchizedek was both a king and a priest. He ruled the nation and the people of Israel. The fact that Abraham gave him a tenth of the spoils of his victory shows he regarded him very highly. His name meant both the "king of peace" and "king of righteousness". As we know we received righteousness from Christ, which gave us peace with God. Because he had no record of a mother or father, he is seen as a typology of Christ.  The order is subtle but important. First, Melchizedek

Hebrews 6 - "Did We Choose God, Or Did We Choose God?"

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,[b] the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author of Hebrews continues to teach on what spiritual maturity looks like. One factor is going beyond the elementary teachings of the faith. This infers that there are deeper and perhaps more complex teachings. It seems as though the believers were taking basic teachings like Baptism and turning them into elaborate rites of cleansing etc... The basic teachings about the resurrection, the laying on of hands, and repentance. “It is profoundly significant to observe how little distinctively Christian there is in this statement. Repentance, faith, resurrection, and judgment were certainly Jew

Hebrews 5 - How Do You Measure Spiritual Maturity?

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.” (See Psalm 2:7)  6 And he says in another place,  “You are a priest forever  in the order of Melchizedek.” (See Psalm 110:4) As I mentioned yesterday, a priest is a mediator between "God and man". Like all priests, he was required to be descended from Aaron (the first biblical priest). But unlike other pri

Hebrews 4 - We May Fool Others, Or Even Ourselves, But We Can't Fool God!

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.[a] 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.’”[b] 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.”[c] 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.” Resting on the Sabbath is at the heart of the Jewish faith, and it is the 3rd of Ten Commandments given to Israel by Moses. This rest was a foreshadowing of the rest they would enter int

Hebrews 3 - Can Someone Lose Their Salvation?

Click Here to Listen To Or Read Hebrews 3 Jesus Greater Than Moses 3 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 author of Hebrews now compares the ministry of Jesus to the ministry of Moses. Moses was a faithful servant of God's house, which was the temple. It was Moses who faithfully gave the Law to the Isra

Hebrews 2 - "Jesus Was Tempted in Every Way Just Like We Are!"

Click Here to Listen to or Read Hebrews 2   Warning to Pay Attention 2 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. Most believe that the message spoken through the angels is the Old Testament revelation of God's Word given to Moses with the Ten Commandments.  This describes the Mosaic Law, which was received…by the direction of angels (Acts 7:53). The idea is that the law was delivered in some way to Moses by the hands of angels. - Guzik The idea that angels had a role in bringing the Law to Moses is found in Deute

Hebrews 1 - The Danger of Angelogy!

Click Here to Read Introduction to the Book of Hebrews Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 1 God’s Final Word: His Son 1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. The book of Hebrews focuses on the person, work, and all-suffiency of  Jesus Christ. It is written to Jewish Christians who were tempted to go back to the Mosaic law. Yahweh had spoken through the prophets in the Old Testament, but this was all leading to how he would reveal himself in the person of His Son, Jesu