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Hebrews 11 - Will the Old Testament Saints Be In Heaven?

  Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 11 Faith in Action 11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.  3 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.  4 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.  5 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.”[a] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 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.  7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By h
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Hebrews 10 - Does the Bible Talk About Church Attendance?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 10 Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All 10 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. The author was writing to a Jewish audience who would have been very familiar with the nature of the sacrificial system. The sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin was offered once a year on Yom Kippur (the day of atonement). The blood of the innocent lamb was poured out and over the altar as symbol of the payment for sin. I.e. There is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood.  But the author reason
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Hebrews 9 - How We Come Into the Presence of God!

Click Here to Read or Listen 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. The author of Hebrews was obviously familiar with the structure of the tabernacle, and all of the regulations and rituals required to enter into God's presence. Each element he mentioned had symbolic significance in the life and history of Israel's relationship with God. They were all reminders of God&
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Hebrews 8 - "Out With the Old, In With the New!"

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 8 The High Priest of a New Covenant 8 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being. There were four covenants in the Old Testament. The Noachic Covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, and the Davidic Covenant. In each covenant God made promises to the Israelites, which were to be reminders to them of His faithfulness. Each covenant came with an earthly thing as a reminder of God's promises. I.e. Rainbow (Noah), Circumcision (Abraham), Ten Commandments on a tablets of stone (Moses), and a Crown for a King (David).  Within the Mosaic Law there were the Ten Commandments, but also all of the prescribed sacrifices for the high priest to come into the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle one time per year to make a sacrifice for the
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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
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Hebrews 6 - "Did We Choose God, Or Did God Choose Us?"

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
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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
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