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Hebrews 8:1-2

Grounded in Jesus!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 13, 2020

Hebrews chapter 7 dealt primarily with Jesus’ priesthood and its superiority to the Levitical priesthood. Jesus’ Melchizedekian priesthood was superior for many reasons. It was permanent not temporary. It involved a perfect sacrifice that was offered once and for all instead of the sacrifices of the old covenant being required over and over again. The high priest under the Levitical system had to offer sacrifices for his own sin. Jesus had no sin that required a sacrifice. Jesus has entered into the very presence of God Himself on our behalf and has remained there; whereas the Levitical priests had to enter again and again, year after year. Chapter 8 continues the theme of Jesus’ superiority by pointing out that Jesus priestly duties take place not on earth but in heaven. This is how the author of Hebrews begins chapter 8. Hebrews 8:1-2 says, “Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.”  Guzik observes, “The tabernacle and the temple of the Old Covenant had beautiful furnishings, but no place for the priests to sit down because their work was never finished. The work of Jesus is finished—He is seated in heaven.”[1]

God has established a heavenly dwelling place for His Son and believers. Our author refers to it as the “heavenly tabernacle.” That’s the place where God dwells. God gave Moses the blueprints from which to build the earthly tabernacle to serve as a picture of the heavenly one. There are two realms with which we have to deal; the earthly one and the heavenly one. Moses, his covenant of law, and the Levitical priests serve in the earthly tabernacle. Jesus serves in the true presence of God in heaven. We deal with the Law covenant in this life. We reap what we sow. We get what we deserve! We make our beds and have to sleep in them. We make atonement for our sins in this life in prison, on the gallows, or in just plain consequences of daily life. But there’s a new realm that relates to each of us in a different way through our faith in Jesus.

Ray Brown explains the situation for us emphasizing the truth in a way that helps us through our daily struggles today. He writes, “We may feel crushed, dejected, bewildered or broken, but our eternal salvation has never depended on our vacillating moods or our changing circumstances. Christ has entered the heavenly sanctuary; ‘once and for all’ he offered his blood for us. There he has appeared for us and now he is praying for us. We are ever remembered at that throne and our names are enrolled in heaven. This is our confidence. Our faith is grounded not in what we are or what we have done, but ever and always in what he is, God’s perfect Son, and what he has done through his perfect, eternal sacrifice.”[2]

[1] David Guzik, Hebrews, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Heb 8:1–2.

[2] Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews: Christ above All, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 146.

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Hebrews 7:14-17, John 14:6

Jesus opens the door for us!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 7, 2020

The writer of Hebrews makes it perfectly clear that the priesthood of Jesus was different, radically different, from the priesthood of Levi. According to law, He could never have served in the Levitical priesthood because of His lineage. Hebrews 7:14 says, “For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.” No priests were to come from Judah, only Kings! Yet the intercessory ministry of Jesus replaces that role and established a permanent one which was not alien to the writings of the Old Testament. In fact, His ministry fulfills the role established previously by Melchizedek. Hebrews 7:15-17 says, “This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.  For it is witnessed of him, ‘You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.’”

Jesus priesthood is different in many ways but first of all, His is eternal. There are no time restrictions of any kind. He is once and for all established as the one and only priest who can make sure atonement for our sins with God and give us access to His heavenly presence for all eternity.  Also, His priesthood doesn’t separate us from God, but opens the way to God. The Levitical priesthood separated people from God. They stood at the door as doorkeepers who would deny access to all except those born of the correct line. Only the Levitical priests could come into the presence of God. But Jesus rent the curtain that separated the people from their God. Jesus defrocked the door keepers who kept sinners away. Jesus opened that way and made it possible for all of us through faith in Him to enter into God’s presence knowing we’re accepted as His children. In John 14:6, Jesus said, referring to His eternal role as Priest, “no one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus is not a door keeper but a door greeter! I like the way Richards explains the situation established by Jesus’ new and permanent priesthood. He writes, “Because of Jesus, the door to God is always open, and so we always have hope. The old doorkeepers, the Aaronic priests, are gone. Their struggle to keep open the crack that the Old Testament opened in relationship to God is ended. Jesus has come, and He has not only thrown open the door, but He stands in it to welcome us personally when we turn to Him.”[1]

[1] Larry Richards and Lawrence O. Richards, The Teacher’s Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987), 1003.

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Hebrews 7:28, Jude 24-25

Thank You, Jesus!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 6, 2020

There aren’t any among men who are “righteous.” There aren’t any who measure up to the standard God has set for full acceptance by Him. Paul makes that perfectly clear in Romans 3:23-24. The Living Bible puts it this way, “Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal; yet now God declares us ‘not guilty’ of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins.” This has been true since the beginning of creation with the first two people on earth and stands true for us today: “All have sinned.” This is even true for the holy tribe of Levi and the priestly line of Aaron. They were sinners like the rest of us. It is within the full realm of our sin that they operated. No one has lived up to God’s ideal except one! The law exposes all of our sins and operates in that environment. But God promised us redemption through the work and sacrifice of the one and only perfect one. Hebrews 7:28 says, “For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.”

Sinners come to God bowed and contrite. That’s our only approach to God. When Jesus was in the temple with his disciples he pointed out the publican and the Pharisee. The Pharisee prayed a prayer focusing on his own goodness, reciting the good things he did and the bad things he avoided. It was all about his efforts and deeds and he presented himself as deserving of God’s acceptance. The Publican, the tax collector, the sinner, bowed his head in deep remorse and acknowledges his profound sinfulness. He didn’t confess a particular sin, he just acknowledged the true condition of his sinful heart. Luke 18:13-14 recounts Jesus’ explanation of the story for us. It says, “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.”

But Jesus is the perfect sacrifice and the perfect savior. He makes us something we could never be or never make ourselves. He makes us perfect. In Jude’s closing verses (24-25), he praises God for this truth and says, “Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever.” What the law and the works of man could never accomplish, Jesus accomplishes for us. We can’t add anything to it and we can’t take anything away from it! All sinners can’t even lift their eyes to heaven but are bowed under the weight of their sin whether they know it or not. But Jesus is able to make us “stand” in God’s holy presence, blameless! Thank you, Jesus!

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Hebrews 7:27, James 2:21-23, Joshua 2:1f

Jesus’ Sacrifice is enough!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 6, 2020

Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient. Not one sacrifice offered by any of the Levitical priests including Aaron himself was sufficient. Year after year, actually day after day, the priests continued to offer sacrifices over and over again for their own sins and the sins of the people. Sacrifice is not necessary any longer! Jesus’ sacrifice is enough for now and all eternity. Hebrews 7:27 says, “He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.” The laws around the sacrificial system have all been fulfilled in Christ. We need not attempt to add to his sacrifice by offering our own sacrifices to what has been done for us. It’s enough in that Jesus offered himself for us on Calvary. When he said “it is finished” he meant it!

Many argue that it’s faith plus works that save us and often refer to James chapter 2 where Abraham’s sacrifice of his son was what justified Abraham because his faith climaxed with works. James 2:21-23 says, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’” But please note that Abraham did not sacrifice his son! God provided the actual sacrifice, the lamb caught in the thicket that was offered on the same mountain that Jesus would be crucified on. It was not Abraham’s sacrifice of his son that mattered. It was God’s sacrifice of his son that mattered. It wasn’t Abraham’s faith and Abraham’s works that led to his being justified by God. It was Abraham’s faith in God’s sacrifice. It was Abraham’s faith and God’s works.

When James goes on to refer to “faith and works” in relation to Rahab at Jericho, it’s not Rahab’s faith and Rahab’s works. It’s Rahab’s faith in God’s work of giving the land to His chosen people. She professed her faith acknowledging that God had given the land to the Israelites and recognized that “…the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” In faith she hung out the scarlet cord as directed and was saved from the destruction that befell Jericho. Even the scarlet cord which Israel gave to her is symbolic of the blood of the lamb on the doorposts in Egypt as well as the blood of the Lamb of God that will take away the sins of the world. Just as the ram caught in the thicket saved Abraham’s son, so too did the bloody colored cord save Rahab and brought her into the genealogy of Jesus. It’s all about Jesus! He was sufficient to save Abraham! He was sufficient to save Rahab and He is sufficient to save you and me. Believe it, because it’s by faith we are saved!

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Hebrews 7:26, Hebrew 12:2-3

Look only to Jesus!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 6, 2020

Jesus’ complete sufficiency to save us was fully demonstrated in his perfect life. He was the only one capable of saving to the “uttermost” those who believe in him.  He lives eternally making intercession for us and our sins at this very minute and into eternity. His resurrection from the dead makes him the guarantor of our eternal security.  He lives forever, making intercession for us because he lived a perfect life. He was not infected by the sin of our fathers as we are. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The temptations that trip us all up did not defile him. Pink writes, “He was never infected by the evils around Him. He touched the leper, and the leper was cleansed. He came into contact with death, and death was conquered. He was in the presence of the Devil for forty days, and was as spotless at the close as He was at the beginning of them.”[1] The writer of Hebrews turns to point out how appropriate it is for Jesus to reign in Glory forever because of his life on earth. Hebrews 7:26 says, “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”

When Pink comments on Hebrews 7:26, he follows the example of the author of Hebrews who interprets the Old Testament Christologically. He’s sees the presence of Christ in all its glory and recognizes that the Bible is truly all about him as Jesus said it was. This is how Pink handles Psalm 1. Commenting on the statement that Jesus is “separate from sinners,” Pink says that “…it gives a summary of what Christ was in Himself, emphasizing His uniqueness and demonstrating His fitness to officiate as Priest. He was the ‘Blessed’ Man of the first Psalm: He walked not in the counsel of the ungodly, stood not in the way of sinners, sat not in the seat of scorners…Though He lived amongst sinners, He was infinitely apart from them, in nature and character, motive and conduct. He was in the world, but not ‘of’ it. Thus was He qualified to act as Mediator between God and sinners.”[2]

The writer of Hebrews began his letter emphasizing the superiority of Jesus over prophets, angels, Moses, and the Law itself including the Levitical priesthood. The closing statement of this verse “exalted above the heavens” is the continuation of this truth. It’s not just the things mentioned earlier that Jesus was superior to! This helps understand Paul’s words in Philippians 2:9-11. He says, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” But the author of Hebrews doesn’t say “in heaven.” He says, “above the heavens.” The Bible is all about Jesus. We need to take our eyes off of ourselves and look to Him only. Our writer will say just that later in Hebrews 12:2-3, “…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

[1] Arthur Walkington Pink, An Exposition of Hebrews (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1954), 407.

[2] Arthur Walkington Pink, An Exposition of Hebrews (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1954), 408.

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Hebrews 7:25

Jesus is sufficient in time and eternity!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 6, 2020

I need a savior because I’m not capable of saving myself. My good deeds, my abstinence of any kind, my standards of living, or anything else one might think makes them acceptable to God, fall short. Both the Old Testament (Isaiah 64:6) and the New Testament (Romans 3:23) are clear on this point. All of us have fallen short of God’s standard. I need a savior! If Jesus is merely my example, I’m doomed forever. I’ll never be like him. He’s not a life guard standing on the shore making swimming motions saying “go like this.” I’m incapable of going like that! A life saver won’t even be good enough to save me because I have no strength to hold onto it in myself. I need someone to dive into the ocean of my sin and pick me up in his arms and carry me to safety. That’s exactly what Jesus does. He saves completely. Hebrews 7:25 says, “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

When Jesus saves us to the “uttermost” it means two things. The first is that it accomplishes everything that needs to be done. Thus he spoke from the cross before his death, “it is finished.” This meant he left nothing undone. He didn’t start the process of our salvation to which we add our dedication, effort, good works or anything else. He did all that needs to be done. His sacrifice is sufficient! There is nothing to add! Some theological camps today define eternal security as being God will never let go of us. Sin will not destroy our salvation as long as we continue to believe in him. It says God will never let go of you unless you let go of him. Thus our salvation is assured only if we persevere. Therefore, it’s what I do in the end that determines my eternal destiny, not what Jesus has done for me. There is no rest, assurance or security in the hope that I will stay faithful until death. The only security is that God will never let go of me no matter what I do, say or think. It is only this unconditional confidence that changes me from the inside. All the rest is trusting in the efforts of the flesh.

The second thing the writer suggests through the idea that Jesus saves us to the “uttermost,” has to do with the duration of that salvation.  Kistemaker put it this way, “We have the assurance that as he lives eternally before God so shall we live forever with him. Presently we come to God in prayer, but at the end of our earthly stay he will take us home to be with him eternally.”[1] Arguing in support of this two-fold aspect of salvation by Jesus to the “uttermost” Arthur Pink says, “Whatever hindrances and difficulties lie in the way of the salvation of believers, the Lord Jesus is fully competent, by virtue of the exercise of His priestly office, to carry out the work for them unto eternal perfection. No matter what oppositions may arise, He is more than sufficient to cope with and overcome them all. Combining the two meanings: a complete salvation is a never-ending one.”[2] Jesus is sufficient in time and eternity! We have complete rest now and forever only in Jesus!

[1] Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, Exposition of Hebrews, vol. 15, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 204.

[2] Arthur Walkington Pink, An Exposition of Hebrews (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1954), 402.

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Hebrews 7:22-24, Romans 8:34

Jesus is our Savior!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 6, 2020

The author of Hebrews presents his case that Jesus as a priest in the order of Melchizedek, is far superior to all the Levitical priests. He’s better because He was a sinless person who did not need to make atonement for himself like the priests. He’s better because his priesthood was not dependent upon a genealogical connection with Aaron but was declared by God personally. He’s better because it was secured by a divine oath to assure us sinners of its authenticity in  contrast to that of Aaron’s line.  He said it before but because of its importance the writer says again that Jesus is better because of the resurrection and current status of Jesus at the right hand of God. Hebrews 7:22-24 says, “This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.”

Paul writes in Romans 8:34, “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” The author of Hebrews has introduced Jesus as the mediator between God and man.  Through our faith in him, his sacrifice makes us right with God. But it’s more than mediation. The writer calls Jesus our “guarantor.” God made himself the guarantor of the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 15 when he took upon himself the responsibility of seeing to its fulfillment apart from the works and deeds of Abraham. The Mosaic covenant was a conditional one regarding living healthy and happy lives in the land. You reap what you sow! But the new covenant makes Jesus our guarantor. Like the Abrahamic covenant, it’s unconditional. Stedman says it this way, “A mediator would offer the covenant, but it would be up to the believer to receive it. A guarantor, however, sees to it that the covenant is fulfilled, even though the believer resists and stumbles at times. It is because Jesus lives forever that he can guarantee ultimate results.” [1]

Another commentator writes the conclusion of what it means for Jesus to be our “guarantor.” Kistemaker says, “Jesus is the believer’s guarantee that all God’s promises will be fulfilled. That is, no promise God has made to us can ever be broken, for Jesus gives the assurance that his perfection will be our perfection, our bodies ‘will be like his glorious body’ (Phil. 3:21), and his ascension guarantees our entrance into heaven (John 14:3).”[2] If my behavior, attitude, dedication or any other personal trait becomes my guarantor, I’m in big trouble. It’s impossible for me or you to live up to the standards God has established which would make us acceptable to God. We need a savior! Jesus is that savior! He guarantees our eternal destiny. His person and work is fully sufficient for my needs. It’s faith in the unconditional love of God expressed on Calvary for us that changes lives. Laws, rules, and religions will never work. We need a savior! I don’t need someone to throw me a life saver when I’m drowning in sin. I’ll never be able to hang on to it by my own strength. I don’t need someone standing on the dock making swimming arm motions saying “go like this!” I don’t have that ability. I need someone to jump into my ocean of sin and carry me out. Jesus is our savior!

[1] Ray C. Stedman, Hebrews, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 1992), Heb 7:20.

[2] Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, Exposition of Hebrews, vol. 15, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 202.

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John 6:29, John 14:6, Hebrews 7:18-19

Jesus is a better hope!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 6, 2020

Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life and no one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). All religions offer a different way to God. Each has their own specific religious doctrines, rituals, rules and practices that will bring full acceptance with God and admission into a glorious eternal destiny. Studying these religions in detail reveals radical and contradictory differences in their approach to God as well as the very nature of God. But one thing is the same. They all count on the effort, performance, obedience, dedication and behavior of their adherents. These religions all focus their attention on what we must do to enter into the glorious presence of God. Unfortunately, even evangelical Christianity has defaulted into focusing on our behavior rather than on the one and only path to God. The default in all of us is “works of the law.” It doesn’t even matter what law you subscribe to, they are all the same. They will all end in failure. This is what the author of Hebrews is explaining when he speaks of the eternal Priesthood of Jesus. Hebrews 7:18-19 says, “For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.”

If you listen to even the best sermons, you often find them tainted by exhortations to try harder, become more dedicated, and a number of other unsustainable practices. The focus becomes on what we do, rather than on what God did. We get a lot of pep-talks and lessons on living better lives. We are manipulated by the promises of prosperity or the threats of judgment from our pulpits and from our literature. But we Americans like it! We seem to default to the maxims of self-effort: “if it’s to be, it’s up to me” and many more. Like the followers of Jesus in his day, we all want to do the “works” of God to prove our worth. But Jesus responded to this way of thinking in John 6:29 stating, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Every religion has a format by which we relate to God based on our own merits! Jesus did not come to establish a different or better format we can use that will give us more chances to relate to God on the basis of our improved behavior. Instead. he has come to fulfill every standard by his own life. Jesus had to come to fulfill those standards for us because everyone of us has failed them.  The Good News is that we no longer need to appeal to God based on our own slip-shod merit. We now “believe in the one that God has sent” and appeal to God on the basis of Jesus’ merit only. This is the uniqueness of Christianity. In focusing our attention on our own righteousness, we demean the person and work of Jesus and bring Christianity down to the level of being just another religion with its demands, rituals and precepts. Jesus is really our only hope and that’s why the author of Hebrews says in these verses that in Jesus “a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.”

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