Tag Archives: Hebrews

Living Sacrifice

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Hebrews 13:15-16

Jesus is our sacrifice, but that doesn’t mean we should stop sacrificing! You might say “What do you mean” ? The Apostle Paul tells us to offer ourselves as a Living Sacrifice to God” (Romans 12) It means everything we do, everyday we live , lets give Thanks to the Lord and do works that are pleasing to Him

Offer your body as a Living Sacrifice, (Romans 12) our bodies crave sin, things that pollute us. Lets reject these worldly pleasures to offer our praise to God. Treat your bodies as a Holy Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16) No this is not works based salvation, this is offering a pleasing sacrifice to God. As salvation is in Christ alone!

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:17

One of the downfalls of The Church is a lack of good authority. With all the sin and corruption is alot of Churches today, many are reluctant to submit to the authority of the Church. Inorder to have a healthy Church, we need to raise up Good leaders, how much time do we spend developing disciples as Jesus commanded during the Great Commision? (Matthew 28:19)

Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly. Hebrews 13:18

Its been said we are only as good as our prayer life. Those who don’t spend much time in prayer are often being led astray. While the world will mock prayer, the Christian should know this is a powerful connection between Heaven and Earth everytime we pray

Sacrifice, Obedience, and Prayer it sounds like a simple formula , but its the ingredients that produce a healthy Christian and Church in Jesus Amen!

Brotherly Love

Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.  Hebrews 13:1-2

One thing I think the Church needs is “Brotherly Love”, often Churches become too institutionalized, too political. Sometimes we run the Church as a business instead of being the Body of Christ. We get wrapped up in positions, titles, and agendas. We forget that we are gathering to support and love one another, were gathering to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, period

Its interesting the author of Hebrews says some strangers we meet are actually “Angels in Disguise” It will be interesting when we look back at our life and see how many angels we actually encountered during our life. So next time your going to disregard a stranger, remember they might actually be sent by God to test you!

Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. Hebrews 13:3

As the Apostle Paul taught us when someone suffers in the Church , we all suffer. And when someone rejoices, we all rejoice! (1 Corinthians 12:26) Instead of worrying about the agendas of the Church, we should worry about the people who actually belong to the Church

So if someone hasn’t been to Church for awhile, instead of reprimanding them, ask them if everything is ok, remember your members of the body of Christ. Church is not a checkbox that we mark off every week, its a gathering of the Saints to worship our Lord and Savior on the Resurrection Day

Continue to love your brothers and sisters in Jesus Name Amen!

Jesus Our Mediator

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. Hebrews 12:24

Why is the New Covenant a better covenant than the Old Covenant? Its very simple, its all because of Jesus. In the Old Covenant God revealed his Law, which is a reflection of Gods holiness, and nobody could fulfill The Law. When we measured ourselves against The Law, we realized how short we have fallen as people. 

Even Moses, who was the Mediator for the Old Covenant, fell short and wasn’t even allowed to see the Promise Land. But Jesus is the perfect sinless Son of God, He was able to fulfill The Law (Matthew 5:17) He is our Mediator between God and Man. Because of Christ and The New Covenant , we are justified and declared righteous  before God

See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. Hebrews 12:25-26

Woe to them who refuse to Repent and make Jesus their Lord, for if your not under grace you are under The Law. The wages of our sin is death, nobody shall escape the wrath of God except by the blood of Jesus Christ 

And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:27-29

Jesus provided to us an unshakable Kingdom. A Kingdom that is eternal and will never fail. All of this was only possible because Jesus loved us and died for our sins. Our God is a consuming fire! You don’t want to fall into the hands of the Living God without being washed by the blood of Christ

As Moses trembled at Mt Sinai, the Fear of God will save your life. If you want to get right with God, you need Jesus Christ! Amen!

Call To Holiness

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Hebrews 12:14-15

Anyone who thinks being a Christian is easy , doesn’t really know anything about Christianity. Our Lord Jesus has called us to  “Love Our Enemies” (Matthew 5:44) We are to strive to live in Peace with everybody. Sounds easy right? Its not so easy when your enemies hate you and some may even want to kill you. However Jesus set the standard, “Be perfect as God is perfect “ (Matthew 5:48)

As Jesus taught us , sin begins with the heart. In order to avoid sin and bitterness towards others, we need to cleanse our hearts. How can we do this? Only by the Holy Spirit and the blood of Christ can we be made Born Again

Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. Hebrews 12:16-17

Notice the author of Hebrews compares sin with Esau selling his birthright! Don’t take sin lightly, just because you are under Grace doesn’t give you a license to sin. I know we all struggle with sin, and we all fall short, however lets call upon the Holy Spirit to sanctify and strengthen us during these times of temptation

If sin doesnt repulse you , you have to ask “Are you truly Born Again”? Jesus said Nobody will see Heaven unless they are Born Again (John 3:3) I know its a struggle , its a spiritual battle for your soul, trust in Jesus Amen!

Finish The Race

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

The Christian Walk is not just a daily stroll, its a lifelong race. Its a race that many will grow weary and tired, and many will take their eyes of Jesus. However we are called to endure the race because Jesus endured the cross for you! Dont lose focus or take your eyes off Christ, put your hope in the author and finisher of our faith Jesus!

Jesus said “ Deny yourself, Take up your cross daily and follow Christ” (Luke 9:23) Jesus didn’t say walk with Him once and you’re done, it’s a daily walk of taking up your cross. It’s a long marathon race , that if we don’t stay focused on Christ, were going to stray off the narrow path

For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: Hebrews 12:3-5

As the old theologian Leornard Ravenhill said “ Our Lord was crucified why would we think we would have an easy life”? Many Christians today are looking for the easy road to eternal life, it doesnt exist! Satan wants to destroy you, Satan wants to tempt you away from The Lord

Satan was willing to try and war with Christ, why would you think he would be afraid of you? Satan wants you to go to eternal damnation, yet the carnally minded look upon all these sins as candy. Pleasing to the flesh but catastrophic to your soul

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? Hebrews 12:6-7

Dont be afraid to be disciplined by God, just as a parent disciplines their child because they love them, God will discipline you because he loves you also. He disciplines us to keep us on the narrow path , to give us eternal life. If He didnt care he would just let us all send ourselves to Hell

But the rebellious flesh hates discipline, we see this throughout the world today. The world loves chaos and disorder, this is a Spirit of evil. The true disciple loves discipline , endures the race until the end in Jesus Name Amen

What Is Faith?

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11 is traditionally known as the “Faith Chapter”, here the author goes through many heroes of the Bible and how their faith in God saved them. It’s to demonstrate that we can’t be saved without faith. All throughout the Bible from Abraham to Paul , it was faith that saved these men, not their own righteousness or works.  For it by grace you have been saved through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The original Greek word for faith is “Pistis” meaning belief, trust, expectation. Faith is not wishful thinking or hoping. Faith is truly having confidence in God that you are saved by the works of Christ, and truly having confidence that God will deliver you

For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Hebrews 11:2-3

It’s with faith or confidence that we know the universe was created by God. The universe didn’t randomly create itself from nothingness, or was created by a group of aliens. The evidence of God’s creation is clearly seen in the world, that we are without excuse (Romans 1:20) 

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. Hebrews 11:4-5

Why did God reject Cain and accept Abel’s sacrifice? Because Cain lacked true faith! Why did Enoch escape death and was raptured to Heaven? Was it because Enoch was a sinless man? No , for we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) Enoch’s faith pleased God

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Without faith it’s impossible to please God! Thats a strong statement we should ponder in our hearts. Yes Christ died for the sins of the world, but without faith you wont be saved. You need to fully trust and believe (faith) that Jesus is your Lord and paid the penalty for your sins!

I encourage you to read the entire chapter of Hebrews 11, as the author demonstrates how all the patriachs of the Bible were saved by faith Amen!

Don’t Forsake The Church

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;And having an high priest over the house of God; Hebrews 10:19-21

Since Jesus paid it all, since Jesus made the atonement for our sins, since Jesus tore the veil, we can enter into God’s presence now being washed by the blood of Christ. We can have boldness to enter into the grace of God because we have been Born Again through Jesus Christ

Not only can we enter with boldness, but we have an eternal High Priest who rules over the house of God forever, regardless of who your pastor is, or who your bishop is, or who your elders are, Christ rules over the Church, every knee bows down to Him

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) Hebrews 10:22-23

Its one thing to make a profession of faith in Christ, its another thing to be Born Again. Let the Holy Spirit work in you, to sanctify you, to wash and cleanse you from sin. A New Heart is given to you during your transformation, as you desire to live like Christ rather than to live as this world

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25

Nobody ever said the Christian walk would be easy, in fact Jesus said you might be persecuted or even face death, this is one of the main functions of the Church. Don’t forsake the assembly, keep each other on the narrow path of life. Going this walk alone will be a heavy burden, surround yourself with Brothers and Sisters who will support each other and serve The Lord Amen!