Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

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&

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click Here To Read or Listen to Philemon Click To Read Commentary on Philemon 1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,  To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker— 2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:  3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. You can read in the commentary, but Philemon was a slave owner, who came to Christ through Paul's missionary journey at Colossae. Apphia and Archippus were probably Philemon's wife and son. Philemon had a group of Christians from Colossae that met in his home. It was not until the 3rd century that Christians met in buildings. The norm for the churches in the first century was house churches in the city overseen by a bishop.  Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the greeting Paul used in a lot of Paul's letters.  The expression, combining both Greek (“grace”) and Jewish (“peac

Click Here to Read or Listen to Titus 3 Saved in Order to Do Good 3 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. Once again Paul reminds Titus that the believers should submit to the government. This is a consistent theme in the bible. Even Jesus said, "Give to Caesar's that which is Caesar's, and give to God what is God's" .  Though there have been times in history where Christians have been called to resist a dictatorial or murderous government, Paul's teaching applies to us with very few exceptions. Some people reason they shouldn't have to pay taxes because they don't believe in what the government is doing, but this is still against the law and you can get jail time for it. The bottom line is that as Christians, we need to be good citizens of the country we live in. It brings a stain on ou

Click Here to Listen to or Read Titus 2   Doing Good for the Sake of the Gospel 2 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.  3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similar to what taught Timothy about the practical issues of pastoring in Ephesus, Paul instructs Titus in like manner. He recognizes that at different life stages people deal with different issues, and men and women deal with different issues. Generally speaking he wants the older men to be role models for the young men, and likewise for the older women with th