Hebrews 5 - 01.23.25
SCRIPTURE
“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.” And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.””
Hebrews 5:5-6 NIV
OBSERVATION
Jesus is more than a Priest, more than a high Priest, Jesus is the Great High Priest.
The first place we find the word used (Genesis 14:18) is upon Abraham’s return from battle to rescue his nephew Lot. Melchizedek, the King of Salem, and Priest of the Most High God, came out to bless Abraham and the God who had given him the victory. In return for the blessing, Abraham gave Melchizedek 10% of all the spoils of the war.
Years later Abraham’s great-grandson, Levi was singled out to be the father of a priestly tribe (Levites).
The priests were responsible for making intercession to God for the people by offering the many sacrifices that the law required.
Among the priests, one was selected as the High Priest, once a Year, to enter into the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement to place the blood of the sacrifice on the Ark of the Covenant. By these daily and yearly sacrifices, the sins of the people were temporarily covered until the Messiah came to take away their sins.
Jesus, though God from eternity, became a man in order to suffer death and serve as our High Priest (Hebrews 2:9). As a man, He was subject to all the weaknesses and temptations that we are, so that He can personally relate to us in all of our struggles. Jesus only had to offer HIS Sacrifice ONCE, gaining eternal redemption for ALL who come to GOD Through Him—so He is called our “Great High Priest” in (Hebrews 4:14).
APPLICATION
COME-to Jesus—our ONE and ONLY Mediator
God hates sin. Sin stands between us and God.
But God LOVES us so much—HE Provided a WAY back to HIM.
JESUS-who paid the price for OUR sin.
SO-that ANYONE who RECEIVES the FORGIVENESS that JESUS freely offers by Confessing Jesus as LORD and Believing in their Heart that God Raised Him from the dead—will Be Saved. (Romans 10:9)
Christianity is Not a religion…it is a relationship with a very real and Living God who cares deeply for us. Who understands everything we are experiencing. Who created us FOR relationship. Who CREATED us to EXPERIENCE a FULL and POWER-FILLED
SUPERNATURAL Life with Him.
Jesus WILL intercede for us. Jesus IS interceding for us NOW (Hebrews 7:25)
““Come to ME, all you who are weary and burdened, and I WILL give you REST.
Take my yoke upon you and LEARN from me, for I AM gentle and humble in heart,
and you WILL find rest for your souls. For my yoke is EASY and my burden is LIGHT.””
(Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)
PRAYER
Lord Jesus,
Thank You for Your Love. Thank You for the Cross. Thank You for forgiving my sins and for new mercies every morning. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit and Thank You that You choose to partner with every single believer. Once we’re saved that’s not the end, it’s the beginning of an adventure that continues to GROW in ways I continue to be amazed at—in my own journey and watching others. You are such a GOOD Father.
Pour out Your Spirit on us Lord. Pour out Your Spirit for Your glory. May we
be powerful witnesses, Jesus, testifying in Your Name…
Jesus IS the SAME-TODAY, Tomorrow, and Forever. Amen.
Tina L Kudelka
Hebrews 4 - 1.22.25
Scripture
Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:11, NIV).
Observation
Whenever there is a “therefore” in the Bible, we need to read the verses/chapters above it to find out what it is alluding to. Chapters 3 and 4 of Hebrews talks about the rest promised to God’s children.
Hebrews 3 ends with the solemn note that the Israelites could not enter God’s rest because of their unbelief (Hebrews 3:19). Further it says that the promise of rest was not attained by the Israelites because of their disobedience (Hebrews 4:6). Israelites had a combination of unbelief and disobedience. Though they saw God’s miraculous hand at work in the wilderness for forty years, they continued to rebel and not believe (Hebrews 3:9-11; Psalms 95:9-11). The writer of Hebrews cautions us to watch out so that none of us have a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God (Hebrews 3:12). Though Joshua took the Israelites to the Promised Land, they did not obey God in driving out the Canaanites, and in keeping themselves holy by not being unequally yoked with the idolatrous people of the land. Again the writer of Hebrews urges us to make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience (Hebrews 4:11).
Application
There remains a promise of rest for the children of God. So let us draw near with the fear of God, so that we don’t miss it (Hebrews 4:1, NKJV). We who have believed have entered that rest (Hebrews 4:3).
It is interesting that God is not saying that we will enter that rest in future tense, when we finish our life and reach heaven. We have already entered the rest when we believed in Jesus. Yes, eternal life starts here on earth! God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Yes, we have believed in him and have received eternal life. Let us be careful not to step outside of that rest through unbelief and through disobedience (Hebrews 3:12, 4:11).
We have rest from works required by the Levitical law for salvation. It was finished on the cross (John 19:30). He has taken the legal requirements against us, out of the way, nailing it to the cross (Col 2:14). Praise God, we have entered into God’s rest when we believed in Him. Entering God’s rest does not mean that we have entered into a period of idleness. God expects us to work and provide for our families (1 Tim 5:8). However, we are not running the “rat race”, like the people of the world, as we know that God is our provider, and has engraved us in the palm of his hands (Isaiah 49:16). He expects us to be faithful stewards of the talents, abilities and resources he has given us (Matthew 25:14-30). He also expects us to do the good works that he has planned for us before we were born (Eph 2:10). We go about our work, resting in God (Psalms 37:7, NKJV), knowing that it is He who blesses the work of our hands and gives us the results of our work (Deut 28:12).
We no longer need to be anxious. Instead in every situation, prayer and thanksgiving, we can present our requests to God (Phil 4:6). God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7).
Prayer
Father, I thank you for the rest that you have for me. Thank you for taking me into your rest, when I believed in you. Help me to understand what that rest means. Help me to not to step away from your rest through unbelief and disobedience like the Israelites. I know that I have been saved through your grace, and it is not of myself, but it is your gift (Eph 2:8). Help me to rest in you. Thank you because I can cast my cares upon you, because you care for me (1 Peter 5:7). Help me to live in a way that pleases you. Make my life a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to you (Romans 12:1). In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
- Asha Chacko George
Hebrews 3 - 1.21.25
SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 3:12-14 “See to it brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today”, so that none of you will be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.”
OBSERVATION: The author of this chapter declared to the holy brothers and sisters that Jesus was their apostle and high priest, which meant that Jesus was sent by God to bear witness to what would be spoken by God in the future, and as the great high priest, Jesus became our Sanctifier, and He secured our place in heaven by His sacrificial death on the cross.
APPLICATION: There are so many benefits that come to our life when we believe God, and put our trust in Jesus! Through Jesus, I received forgiveness of my sins, and I gained peace with God. When I invited Jesus to come into my heart, I was granted access to the Father, and I have become a partaker, and I am able to share in all of God’s blessings as a member of His family. And, I have hope for my future of being able to enter into eternal rest with my Heavenly Father when Jesus returns to take me home.
But, for those who harbor unbelief due to the hardness of their heart, they are choosing to miss out on experiencing the joy and peace of knowing God, and the opportunity of entering into eternal rest. It will not be because God doesn’t love them, but because they have rejected Him. We have an example of God’s anger against those who had hardened their hearts and rebelled against Him. It was not a pretty sight! He allowed them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years because of their sinful hearts, and they missed out on what God had planned for them.
PRAYER: God, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Jesus! Every day is another opportunity to share Your love with others. Help me to hear Your voice, and obey it. I pray You will reveal the ones You want me to pray for who have hardened their heart against You. I pray You will give me the burning desire to pray for them, and that they will come to know You, and put their hope in Jesus. I pray You will give them a new heart, and the gift of faith to be able to enter in and enjoy the true peace that only You can provide. And to the ones who have drifted, I pray You will make me an encourager to them! I pray You will use me to guide them back to You so that they won’t have to miss out on experiencing the countless benefits of following closely after You.
- Robin Orefice