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Hebrews 6:16, Jeremiah 31:3

Jesus: The Promise of God’s Love

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 29, 2019

As a young boy, I remember learning to say “I swear to God!” I don’t remember where I got it but it was going around among a lot of the kids in the north Omaha neighborhood where I grew up. I would say it so often that eventually my parents told me to stop saying it and even began to punish me when I did. I learned that to use this phrase loosely like I did, was to violate the commandment “do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” I would add it to the end of a fishing story to convince my friends of its truth. I’d add it to my claim to have done my homework to my parents. This might have been what got me in trouble. My friends would use it all the time in making promises to each other. It was supposed to settle the matter. We understood the idea of swearing by something greater than ourselves in order to arouse confidence from others. We still use the phrase “so help me God” in wedding ceremonies and in swearing-in rituals. People will often put their hands on a Bible and swear to the truth of the testimony they are about to give.  To lie under oath is a felony! This is what Hebrews 6:16 is all about. It says, “For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.”

It’s interesting to me that these words are no longer used in the United States Congress. The New York Times reports, “The witness rose from her seat, raised her right hand and swore to tell the truth before Congress. But four words were missing: ‘So help me God.’ In the House of Representatives, to the winner go the spoils, and Democrats, the new decision makers, control everything, including what legislation gets a vote and the minutiae of procedural choices, such as whether witnesses must utter the traditional plea for divine aid. Democratic chairmen and chairwomen of several key committees have deemed no such entreaty is necessary.” [1]

Fruchtenbaum explains the importance of this verse in his commentary. He writes, “It is the nature of swearing to appeal to a higher authority. God is the highest authority, so His Word settles and confirms. God made the same affirmation men make. Yet, God could not appeal to a higher authority; there is nothing higher or greater than God Himself. He is the greatest authority, and His Word confirms all. There is no argument against His Word.”[2] It’s important to note that Jesus is “The Word of God.” He is the embodiment of God’s message to man. That message involves God’s love for all mankind (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). God took an oath on Himself to impress upon us the validity of His love for us. Jeremiah 31:3, God said, “I love you with an everlasting love.” In Christ that oath was consummated in blood.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/11/us/politics/democrats-house-oath.html

[2] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 93.

 

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Hebrews 6:15, Galatians 3:6, Romans 3:21

We must see Jesus

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 29, 2019

As God did with Abraham, God bound Himself with us in a unilateral, unchangeable, and irrevocable covenant. He did that on the cross of Calvary. The Old Testament story of Abraham and his journey of faith in God’s promises is only a prelude to Jesus and how through faith, we too inherit the promises of God. The writer of Hebrews simply says that God did what He said He was going to do. In Hebrews 6:15 he says, “And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.” Abraham’s faith was counted as “righteousness” before God. It wasn’t his life choices. It wasn’t his strict obedience. It wasn’t his sacrifices and religious rituals. It was one thing only, faith! Paul actually said that in Galatians 3:6. He writes, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Jesus said on several occasions that the Scripture, the Old Testament, was about Him. From Genesis to Revelation we find Jesus foretold, explained, illustrated, and even specifically mentioned.

Alex Early writes, “Consider the implications of these statements. Jesus says the whole Bible is about Him. He is not asking us to hijack the text and force Him into the pages of the Old Testament. As a Jew, He would never think of such a thing. Rather, He simply, humbly, and truthfully says in effect, ‘Look and see me there! No pressure necessary. You don’t have to read me into the text. Merely read the text and I emerge.’ But even after we meet Jesus in the Bible and are converted, we are not finished with His book. Instead, our conversion marks the beginning of a lifetime of going deeper and deeper into the Word of God.”  (visit: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/jesus-really-is-the-point-of-the-whole-bible.html) This is how the writer of Hebrews deals with the Old Testament. He sees Jesus!

Moses wrote the story of Abraham. It makes perfectly clear that his relationship with God was by grace through faith. After Abraham’s death, the prophets continued to talk about salvation by grace through faith alone. In Romans 3:21, Paul said, “But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.” Like the author of Hebrews, we need to see the Scriptures for what they are. They are all about Jesus. More from Early: “If we fail to see a text in terms of its being planted at the feet of Jesus and His mission for the world, we have missed the point. Soon the Bible is reduced to a list of do’s and don’ts. Heroes and villains. Good guys and bad guys. Winners and losers. The good news of the gospel, when seen in this light, is reduced to good advice at best. And those who supposedly know Jesus will relate to Him in such a manner that it’s as if they don’t know Him. Like when Ned Flanders on The Simpsons told his boys, ‘Okay boys, when you meet Jesus, make sure you call him Mr. Christ.’”

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Matthew 11:28, Hebrews 6:13-15, 7:22, Galatians 3:22, Genesis 15

Jesus is God’s blood oath!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 23, 2019

When Jesus said “Come to me and I will give you rest,” He did not add a condition to it. If you quit smoking and come to me I will give you rest. I’ve often said that smoking won’t send you to hell, but it might make you smell like you’ve already been there. Drinking won’t send you to hell. No sin will send you to hell. The only thing that will send you to hell is the rejection of God’s free gift of eternal life offered in Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins and purchased for us a place in heaven which He offers as a free gift. That free gift comes to us through faith. The “rest” that Jesus offers sinners like you and me comes through faith alone. As Jesus promised in Matthew 11:28, it is “rest for our souls.” It sets everything right with God. The Good News for sinners is the promise of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul said it this way in Galatians 3:22, “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”

God always keeps His promises. The writer of Hebrews reminds all of his readers, those he personally addressed and even us today, of this truth. In Hebrews 6:13-14 he says, “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, ‘Surely I will bless you and multiply you.’” The author is reminding us that Abraham’s faith rested on two things; the promise of God and the oath or covenant of God. God’s promise to Abraham was unconditional. There were no strings attached. To assure Abraham, God took a blood oath in Genesis 15. Instead of both parties walking between the blood sacrifices, God signed the contract on His own. Pentecost says, “To show that this covenant was dependent on God alone, God rendered Abraham incapable of participating in the ritual of ratification. While Abraham slept (15:12), he saw the Shekinah of God pass between the pieces of the sacrificed animals (15:17). In this way, God showed Abraham that He was binding Himself in a unilateral, unchangeable, irrevocable covenant.” [1]

The author gives his readers meat from the Scriptures here. You see, Abraham and God’s promise and oath to him, is about Jesus and His promises to us. Just as the blood offered to guarantee the promise to Abraham, Jesus is the blood sacrifice that becomes the oath that guarantees His promise. The writer of Hebrews is about to launch into a long lesson about the priesthood of Melchizedek and its superiority to the Jewish priesthood. Jesus is the greater priest and Jesus is the greater sacrifice. The blood in Genesis 15 guarantees the reliability of God’s promise to Abraham, but the greater guarantee is the blood of Jesus which guarantees God’s promise to those who believe. The author will say this directly in Hebrews 7:22. It reads, “This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.” The writer once again wants his readers to understand that the whole bible is about Jesus. If you let yourself become sluggish about Jesus, you will drift away and slip back into religion. There is no rest in religion. But Jesus promises us with a blood oath that we’ll have rest for our souls through faith in Him. God is showing us from the cross of Calvary the He was binding himself in a unilateral, unchangeable, irrevocable covenant!

[1] J. Dwight Pentecost and Ken Durham, Faith That Endures : A Practical Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2000), 112.

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Hebrews 6:12

Sluggish for Jesus?

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 23, 2019

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews was concerned about those who have become “dull of hearing.” In Chapter five he told them he had so much he wanted to tell them about Jesus but they seemed to have heard enough and wanted to slip back into their religion. They could not and would not mature in their understanding of the person and work of Christ and like the Israelites at Kadesh Barnea, were in danger of losing the “rest” God had promised to those who move forward in faith. Jesus calls people to come to Him and He will give them rest for their souls (Matthew 11:28). This is a rest that comes only through faith. It’s not a rest we can earn on our own. It’s not something that comes as a reward for some deed performed. It’s only the product of a growing appreciation of the full sufficiency of Jesus in every area of our lives. Jesus and His grace is more than sufficient for all our needs. When that becomes true, we find rest.

I’ve actually had people tell me to stop telling them about Jesus and to give them something more relevant to their lives. They wanted some rituals to observe, some rules to follow, some practices to rehearse, or something they could do to give them a sense of accomplishment. Some people long to have their failures, sins, and weakness pointed out over and over again so that a sense of guilt might motivate them to better living. But that never works! Rest is only found in Jesus who fulfilled all rituals, rules, and regulations, accomplishing for us what we could never accomplish for ourselves. Jesus is the most relevant message for everyone. If you have become “dull of hearing” about Jesus, you must grow in your understanding of Jesus: His person and His work. God’s rest can only come from the full assurance of the full sufficiency of Jesus.

The Greek word translated “dull of hearing” in Hebrews 5:11 is translated by the English Standard Version in Hebrews 6:12 as “sluggish.” Hebrews 6:12 says, “so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” He wants his readers to be passionate about Jesus. After all, the whole Bible is about Jesus. When people become “sluggish” about Jesus they revert to religion! The Jews were passionate, or zealous, for the law. The author of Hebrews wants his readers zealous for Jesus. He doesn’t exhort his readers to passion for self-righteousness but for a passion for Jesus’ righteousness; a righteousness of God that comes through faith alone. A growing confidence in the full sufficiency of Jesus is only nourished by a mature understanding of Jesus as presented throughout the entire Bible. The writer of Hebrews spends a lot of time showing us Jesus from the Old Testament. By the end of chapter 6, he has only gotten started. There is so much more to come about Jesus in the whole Bible.

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Hebrews 6:11, Romans 10:2-4

Jesus is our only hope!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 21, 2019

Understanding God’s love for us as it was demonstrated on Calvary is the central tenant of Biblical Christianity. The author of Hebrews wishes for his readers to mature in their understanding of God’s love and to, as Paul said in Ephesians 3:17, “sink their roots deep into God’s love” which will result in true love motivated service. The fruits of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control draw nutrients from God’s love. That’s what produces mature fruit. The adult food, or meat, of Christianity is the Bible as it unfolds to us God’s love in deeper and more profound ways as we grow to understand more and more about Jesus. The author is about to cut up a thick steak for us when he re-introduces Melchizedek into his discussion in chapter 7. He sees Jesus in Melchizedek and God’s love for sinners described and presented in a new and dynamic way.

The writer of Hebrews is not saying “get to work” for Jesus! He is saying “accept the work that Jesus did for you.” Grow in appreciating God’s love for you, through the revealed truths of the Bible in all its multi-faceted revelation. The Bible often encourages us to be zealous and earnest with God. But too many take this to mean “try harder” or “do more.” It means to focus on our efforts to become more righteous. But that’s a mistake. That’s what the religious leaders did in Jesus’ day and many continue to do in our own days. Larry Richards has it right. He says, “The people of Israel were truly zealous for God. But their zeal had been misdirected. They thought that God would be pleased if they rigorously kept the details of His Law. In their focus on the details, they missed the real meaning and purpose of God’s ancient commands.”[1] The purpose of the law was to convict man of his sinfulness and point him to the Messiah who would fulfill the law for us. Paul writes in Romans 10:2-4, “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

The writer of Hebrews tells his readers what he wants for them. In Hebrews 6:11 he  says, “And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness…” He does not wish for them to seek their own righteousness through good works. He wants them to find true righteousness through a maturing faith in Jesus. When I focus on my own righteousness I become frustrated, stressed out and discouraged because I’m a natural born sinner and will always fail. I’ll live my life in fear because I know I have no righteousness of my own. But when we put our faith in Jesus’ righteousness, we find true rest. This is how the author of Hebrews finishes 6:11. He explains why he wants us to be earnest about God’s love for us expressed in Jesus. If we trust in Jesus we can “…have the full assurance of hope until the end…”

[1] Larry Richards and Lawrence O. Richards, The Teacher’s Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987), 609.

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Hebrews 6:10, John 3:16, Romans 5:8

Jesus is God’s Love Gift

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 21, 2019

The author of Hebrews is confident that his readers will enjoy “better things” than the children of Israel who failed to move forward in their faith and trust in God to enter the Promised Land. He is not referring to eternal life because he’s already established the reality of their faith in Jesus. Their eternal destiny is assumed but the experience they have along the way is in question. Will they spend it wandering around in the wilderness in fear and trembling or will they mature in their confidence in the full sufficiency of Jesus and experience God’s rest in the here and now? The author is confident that his readers will not experience the fate of those who turned back at Kadesh Barnea. He’s confident that only good things await them. He writes, in Hebrews 6:10 “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.”

He commends his readers for their sacrificial service to other believers. But notice that it’s service motivated by love for God. What is not overlooked or what is remembered by God is “love motivated service.” Girdwood points out, “As in so many places in Scripture, work and love are joined together. Paul wrote of a ‘labor prompted by love’ (1 Thess 1:3) and John encouraged Christians to ‘not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth’ (1 John 3:18). Our writer will join these same terms in 10:24 when he exhorts his readers to ‘spur one another on toward love and good deeds.’”[1]

The good deeds that God rewards are those motivated by love. It makes no mention of good deeds motivated by guilt. Too often preachers, me included, will use guilt to move their members to get more involved. Guilt motivated service is noticed but not in a good way. When I’m nice to my wife because I was mean to my wife, she notices it right away. God does too. Good deeds that are motivated by the reward are not appreciated either. That is to pursue the gift rather than the giver! My grandsons know that I’m a good gift giver and I’m well aware of the fact that their kindnesses to me are often motivated by my gifts rather than by their love. I give gifts because I love them. I hope that my expressions of love will be understood as such and as they enjoy the gifts, they will see the love and be moved to return that love.  God demonstrated His love for us by giving the greatest gift imaginable. He “so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.” Jesus is God’s love gift to you and me!

[1] James Girdwood and Peter Verkruyse, Hebrews, The College Press NIV Commentary (Joplin, MO: College Press, 1997), Heb 6:9–12.

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Hebrews 6:9, Matthew 11:28-29

Resting in Jesus’ Sufficiency

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 21, 2019

The children of Israel made a decision that sent them into the wilderness to live out their lives. It seems they couldn’t let go of the sense of their own frailty and unworthiness. They looked at the land and longed to enter, but were too afraid to let go of their fears and fully trust God’s promise. They were still God’s chosen people and were cared for their entire lives. Moses was still their leader and manna continued to fall from heaven 6 out of 7 days. But they did not get to enter into the rest that God wanted for them.  Many believers today don’t experience God’s rest either because of too many circumstances and situations that distract their attention from Jesus. True rest for our souls only comes from an assurance of the full sufficiency of Christ. Our default, as it was for the Israelites, is to look at ourselves, see the frailty, weaknesses, and unworthiness and then double our efforts to find that rest on our own. Like Israel, we fail if we try to enter God’s rest on our own. Experiencing God’s rest in the land and eternal salvation are two different things. What the Israelites lost was the experience of the rest in this land and that’s what the writer of Hebrews warned his readers about. One must progress in their faith in the full sufficiency of Jesus. Fruchtenbaum says, “The Exodus Generation made an irrevocable decision and could not progress to the Promised Land. The generation to whom the Book of Hebrews was addressed could also make an irrevocable decision and fail to progress to maturity.”[1]

The writer of Hebrews sees his audience, and us, at Kadesh Barnea. We haven’t made that irrevocable decision yet and he’s confident we won’t. He believes we’ll continue our focus on Jesus. We’ll keep our eyes on him regardless of the giants in the land as well as the wind and the waves of life’s storms, and mature in our full faith and assurance of Jesus’ sufficiency. Hebrews 6:9 says, “Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.”

He’s not talking about eternal “salvation.” That’s already been established for them and for all of us who believe in Jesus. But the “things belonging to salvation” might become part of our daily experience as we occupy the land that God has given us in this life.  Allen says, “The author does not say the ‘better things’ refer to entrance into salvation, but to that which ‘accompanies’ salvation. The author assumes, and thus implies by his language, that the readers are believers.” [2] The things that accompany salvation are not itemized but I’d argue that according to the context it must include “God’s rest.” We’ll never have a perfect rest from all our trials and struggles in this life, but we can have peace with God and that peace is found only in a full assurance of the sufficiency of Jesus. Jesus calls us to himself so that He may give us rest, rest for our souls (Matthew 11:28-29). Growing up, maturing in our faith, is learning how to rest in the full sufficiency of Jesus regardless of our life situations or circumstances.

[1] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 88.

[2] David L. Allen, Hebrews, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2010), 394.

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Hebrews 6:7-8, Matthew 5:45, 11:28, Deuteronomy 32:2-3, Hosea 10:12

Jesus is our Righteousness

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 16, 2019

Hebrews 6:7-8 give us an agricultural image that illustrates what the writer has already been talking about. The Israelites coming out of Egypt all experienced the marvelous miracles of deliverance. They all followed the fire and smoke. They all ate the Manna from heaven. They all drank from the bitter waters at Marah that had become sweet. They were all recipients of God’s promises to inherit the land of Canaan, but only a few entered into God’s rest. The majority languished in the wilderness. Why? Because they did not trust God. They did not believe God. Like Peter walking on water, they took their eyes off of God, and put them on themselves and their circumstances and became doubtful and fearful. But the truth is, they all experienced the outpouring of God’s marvelous grace. It wasn’t what God did that made the difference but how it was “perceived.” The rain falls on everyone. Hebrews 6:7-8 says, “For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.”

Jesus taught his disciples to love their enemies. It’s no big deal to love people who love you, but it’s God like to love those who don’t love you. In Matthew 5, He describes God as someone who loves everyone. Jesus says we should learn to be like God in this regard. Then He says in Matthew 5:45, “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” The universe declares the glory of God! Some see it as chance or coincidence. Other’s see it as a divine hand at work. But it’s easy to become hardened to the miraculous all around us. It’s easy to see that the “survival of the fittest” is what this world is all about and therefore we must compete with everyone to win. The harder we work the more we get. We live in a world of sowing and reaping and there is no escape. Jesus offered us the only true escape when He said in Matthew 11:28, “come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” The ground has been cursed because of sin and we live in a cursed world. Jesus wants to reverse that curse and lead us through faith into the Promised Land of rest. But like the children of Israel at Kadesh Barnea we often harden our hearts to God.

As Moses ends his teachings to Israel in Deuteronomy, he teaches them about sowing and reaping. In the land that God is giving them, they will reap exactly what they sow. God’s steadfast love for mankind moved Him to give His people detailed instructions on how to live a healthy and happy life in this cursed world. If they obey, they will be blessed. If they doubt God’s love for them and disobey, they will feel the curse. Moses wants the best for them so in Deuteronomy 32:2-3 he prays, “May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the LORD.” Hosea uses the agricultural image of sowing and reaping also. The seed is “righteousness” and the crop that will be harvested is “steadfast love.” Hosea 10:12 says, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love…” But the righteousness that God wants from us is not our own. It’s already demonstrated that we have none of our own. He’ll take care of the righteousness, we must soften our hearts. Hosea continues his verse and adds, “break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.” Jesus is our righteousness!

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