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Hebrews 5:2, Jeremiah 23:2, Matthew 23:4

Giving Up Our Religion

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 4, 2019

The writer of Hebrews looks back at something he talked about earlier with a view toward clarification. In Hebrews 4, he mentioned that Jesus is not so distant from us that he can’t sympathize with our situation. He feels our struggles and our pain.  He was fully human and could relate completely. Each high priest had to be able to relate to the people not only in their life struggles, but in their failures and sins. The high priest in Israel should be tender and gentle with sinners. Hebrews 5:2 says that because he is one of them, “He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.” Of course this was not the case with the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. They insisted on stoning a woman found in adultery. They wanted to banish Jesus for violating the Sabbath and were always accusing Jesus and his followers for breaking their laws. When Jesus healed sinners, the religious leaders had no compassion. They only looked on with condemnation and judgment.

The Lawyers and Religious leaders did not deal “gently” with sinners. They were harsh and demanding on the people just as the Old Testament prophets predicted. Jeremiah spoke of the “shepherds” of Israel and said, “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:2).  Jesus confronted them because “They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden” (Matthew 23:4).

Jesus’ strongest words were not to sinners but to the religious leaders of His day. He called them snakes, whitewashed tombs rotten on the inside, hypocrites, and only out for what they could get, be it wealth or position. Yet he was always trying to bring them to repentance. He wanted them to understand their own failures and sins so they could deal more compassionately with others. He told them the law against murder is violated by their own hatred. He said their lusting is a violation of the law against adultery. He called them to give up everything if they wanted to follow Him hoping it would open their eyes to their own sinfulness. What Jesus wanted them to give up wasn’t their wealth, position or privileges. He wanted them to give up their religion. But they couldn’t do it! It’s no different today. The hardest thing to give up for Jesus, and the only thing He really wants, is for us to give up our religion and trust completely in Him.

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Hebrews 5:1, Isaiah 9:6

The Wonderful Counselor

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 4, 2019

The author of Hebrews has pointed out in the first four chapters, the superiority of Jesus over the prophets, the angels, Moses, and the Law and now in chapter 5, he picks up the thought of the Levitical priesthood, especially the “high priest” who would intercede with God on behalf of the people with sin offerings. Again the writer is pointing out how Jesus is superior to everyone and everything else related to their former religion. Hebrews 5:1 says, “For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.” It appears that the point of this discussion is that the intercessor must come from the people. He must be one of them and it is God, Himself, who chooses the intercessor on the people’s behalf. The role of all the high priests throughout the history of Israel was to intercede with God with sacrifices and offerings to absolve the people from their sins.

The High Priest must be one of the people. The prophets spoke for God to the People. The angels were sent by God to serve the people. The Law of Moses was God’s speaking to the people. The High Priest was also the one who spoke to God for the people. He had to be a man to do this. Jesus was fully human and indeed was one of us. The message from the people to God that the priest would bring had to do with atonement for their sins. He brought sacrifices to God from the people that would establish a basis for absolution, forgiveness, and restoration of a right standing before God. These rituals were repeated often whereas with Jesus, as we will read later, was accomplished for us once and for all. The gifts and sacrifices would never need to be offered again.

The many sacrifices of the Old Testament had interesting names; the guilt offering, the sin offering, and the peace offering are just three of them. If you were to tell me “your sins are forgiven,” would I then be able to walk away at peace with God, guilt free, and confident that all my sins are forgiven? It’s just not that easy, is it? I would still brew over my sin and struggle with doubt over my guilt and not fully experience peace with God. We sometimes need counseling to relieve the pain of our past. Stedman says that was the role of the priest. He writes, “But if we read Leviticus and Deuteronomy carefully, we will see that such priests served in the place of modern psychologists and psychiatrists today. In explaining to the people the purpose of each offering, they would be dealing with problems of fear, insecurity, anxiety, guilt and shame. Thus they fulfilled an extremely important role in the nation’s life.[1] It is the role of “counselor” that Jesus fills so perfectly in our lives. It’s one of his names according to Isaiah 9:6. We are often reminded at Christmas time that one of Jesus’ names is “wonderful Counselor.”

[1] Ray C. Stedman, Hebrews, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 1992), Heb 5:1.

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Hebrews 4:16, Galatians 2:21

Grace, Mercy and Love

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 3, 2019

According to the writer of Hebrews, those who are trusting in Christ as the ultimate and final “word” of God rather than the prophets, or the priests, or Moses, or the Law, can be confident to personally approach God. We don’t need the prophets to speak for God. Jesus has brought God’s ultimate message to us. Actually, the message of the prophets is the message of Jesus. We don’t need priests to intercede with God for us to calm his anger at our sin, Jesus has managed that for us. We don’t need Moses or his laws by which to measure our standing before God because Jesus fulfilled it at every point at which we’ve failed. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Grace and mercy are two things that only sinners need. If you can stand before God on the basis of your own performance you don’t need either. This is the case with the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. In comparing themselves with others, they could always find something to help them feel superior. We can too. But the standard isn’t just being better than someone else, it’s being perfect! You only need grace and mercy when you realize you’re living under a cloud of guilt and failure. We all deserve to reap the consequences of our actions. We have all fallen short and the only place to find grace and mercy with God is in Christ. He is the only one to have been tempted in all human ways and to have faced that force without sin. Being better than Hitler will not give us confidence to enter into God’s presence.  It is impossible for anyone to climb the ladder of righteousness high enough to attain the standard necessary to impress God and be confident and comfortable in His presence. If it were possible, Jesus died for nothing as Paul says in Galatians 2:21.

In whatever way we’ve fallen short, Jesus fills that gap. He gives us whatever help we need to find confidence in the presence of God. However short our account is, Jesus makes the deposit required to satisfy any and all of God’s requirements for us. This is a free gift to all who will believe because God loves us all. That’s why He sent His son. God demonstrates His love for us on Calvary even in the presence of our sinfulness. God opened the heavens and declared “this is my beloved Son.” It’s in Christ we can truly experience God’s love. In commenting on this verse, the Handbook for Translators observes, “In some languages, grace is a word little used outside church circles. If so, the translator may need to replace it by some such word as ‘love’ (See the German Common Language Bible).” The handbook even suggests incorporating that idea in the translation; “In fact, find grace is merely an equivalent of “experience kindness” or “experience love.” Accordingly, we will receive mercy and find grace may be restructured to read “God will be kind to us and show us his love.”[1]

[1] Paul Ellingworth and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Letter to the Hebrews, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 90–91.

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Hebrews 4:15

Jesus Feels You!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 3, 2019

Jesus sympathizes with us in our human predicament because he was fully human yet without sin. He knows the draw of the pride of life, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes. He was tempted in all of these areas yet He remained without sin. He knows the full force of temptation which none of us ever feel. I think it was C.S. Lewis who said: you don’t feel the full force of the wind by turning your back to it, you only feel it when you face it head on. Jesus faced our situation fully head on. I think this is the main point of the next verse. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Adam didn’t feel the force. Abraham didn’t feel the force. Noah didn’t feel the force, Moses didn’t feel the force! Aaron, the priest, didn’t feel the full force of the wind. Jesus is the only one who faced the wind head on and never flinched. We have all flinched. But the point of this verse is that Jesus knows our pain. He isn’t a god who is far off like the gods of Greece and Rome. He is a loving God, who cares so much about us that he feels our pains along with us. According to the Oxford Companion to Music, “If two tuning–forks of the same pitch be placed in position for sounding and one of them be set in vibration, the other will take up the vibrations sympathetically; the first fork is then a generator of sound and the second a resonator.” Hughes quotes this and adds, “His instrument, so to speak, was the same as ours. It is a fact that if you have two pianos in the same room and a note is struck on one, the same note will gently respond on the other, though not touched by another’s hand. This is called ‘sympathetic resonance.’ Christ’s instrument was just like ours in every way. And hear this! He took that instrument, that body, to Heaven with him. It is his priestly body. And when a chord is struck in the weakness of our human instrument, it resonates in his![1]

The Law written on stone tablets gives no mercy and has no grace. It is inscribed on stone and can’t be changed. The religious leaders and Judaizers that caused Jesus such trouble, and trouble for Paul and others who put Jesus above all such things, had no sympathy for the hurting. Jesus healed a man blind from birth. The religious leaders accused him of violating the Sabbath. They had no concern for the life-long pain of the healed. Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead and the religious leaders wanted them both executed for some violation of their laws. They had no compassion or sympathy for them. Moses, his law, the priesthood, and even the Temple itself, cannot feel you! It demands that we be stoned to death for our adulteries. It calls for blood! Jesus is so much more important than everything else! He poured out His blood for you and me.

[1] R. Kent Hughes, Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul, vol. 1, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1993), 130.

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Hebrews 7:20-21, Psalm 110:4

Nothing but Jesus!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 30, 2019

In Hebrews 7:18-19, we read that Jesus gives us a better hope than trying to rely on our own works to bring us closer to God. Our righteousness is sketchy at best. His is perfect. If we place our hope in our own behavior we all fail, but Jesus gives us a better hope with respect to our destiny. The writer then goes on to say that this is a sure thing. It’s established once and for all by God’s promises. Hebrews 7:20-21 says, “And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: ‘The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, you are a priest forever.’” I like what Pfeiffer says, “This fact should encourage the Christian. In the midst of the changing world, he trusts the changeless Christ who holds His office by virtue of the unalterable Word and will of God.”[1]

There was no promise to Aaron and the Levitical priests regarding the duration of that office. It was always intended to be supplanted by a better one when the Messiah came. He would not only be the King but would also be the one and only High Priest forever. Since there was no mention by God of the duration of the Levitical Priesthood, it is obviously inferior to the one established with an eternal promise. The oath that the author of Hebrews is referring to is recorded in Psalm 110 which has become the basis for much of the discussion regarding Melchizedek. In verse 4 we read, “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’”

The argument is that when God speaks, that’s enough! Why did he feel it necessary to add an oath to his proclamation concerning the Messiah’s role as an eternal High Priest? Kent Hughes quotes from two commentators who help explain this phenomenon. “’An oath was not necessary, because God’s word is enough. But because humanity is a race of liars, God accommodated himself within the sphere of human undependability.’1 His oath is a double-assurance to fallen, duplicitous humanity of the eternality of Jesus’ Melchizedekian priesthood. Whatever ‘God confirms by an oath becomes something so utterly unchangeable that it is woven into the very fibre of the universe and must remain forever.’” 2 [2] No set of rules or rituals will ever satisfy our souls or make us acceptable to God. It’s only the intercessory work of Jesus that will suffice. Stedman concurs saying, “The old covenant will no longer work and no secular or pagan solution to the problem of sin and spiritual immaturity is acceptable.”[3]

[1] Charles F. Pfeiffer, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1962), 64.

1  Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1977), p. 267.

2  William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1957), p. 85.

[2] R. Kent Hughes, Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul, vol. 1, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1993), 205.

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

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Hebrews 4:14, Matthew 15:19-20, Ephesians 3:14f

Hold Fast to Jesus

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 29, 2019

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day (and ours) focus on the externals. They worried about rituals and special observances instead of what’s in the heart. Jesus would often confront them by pointing to the reality of their defiled hearts even though they observe the washing of hands and Sabbaths, etc., according to the Law of Moses. To religious leaders it is all about “behavior” alone and what it looks like from the outside. Jesus, God’s Word, cuts through all that into the core of our being beyond the bone, joints, marrow, and discerns the condition of our heart as verse 12 says. Then in verse 13, he reminds us that no one can hide their thoughts or the condition of their heart from Him. Here is what Jesus said in Matthew 15:19-20, “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things that defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

Repentance involves more than admitting that we’ve done something wrong. Repentance involves acknowledging the condition of our heart. It’s not just that we have sinned, it’s more of the fact that we are sinners by nature. Sinners cannot enter into the presence of God. The High Priest in Israel would enter into God’s presence, into the Holy of Holies, on behalf of sinners and offer a sacrifice that would make “atonement” for the sins of the people. In 70 AD the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews had no way to atone for their sins. This may have been one of the struggles with the audience of the Letter of Hebrews. But the writer wants them to know that it’s not a matter of “externals” anymore. And as mentioned earlier, Jesus is not only the perfect acceptable sacrifice, He is also the one who offers the sacrifice: the Priest. He’s not just any old priest; He’s the High Priest of us all. He didn’t enter into the presence of God in a physical, temporary Temple. Oh No! Hebrews 4:14 says, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” He’s in the very presence of God in Heaven interceding on our behalf.

One commentator writes, “Our High Priest, Jesus, has ‘passed through the heavens,’ and is now enthroned at the Father’s right hand. His exalted position is the ground of Christian confidence. The earthly High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies but once a year. Our High Priest is now in Heaven where He is seated at the Father’s right hand.”[1] The religious leaders and religious people of today want to “hold fast” to religious obligations and external performances. We’re given “five ways” to get closer to God, for example, as if Jesus didn’t bring us close enough. We’re instructed on what we should do to become better Christians is if Jesus didn’t do enough. To religious people, it’s all about what we “do” instead of what Jesus “did.” According to Paul, the way a Christian matures has to do with the core of our being, our hearts, not with our behavior. It’s about our foundation, our roots! He prays that the Ephesians, instead of trying harder, would sink their roots down deep into God’s love. God’s ultimate demonstration of His Love for us was in His Son, Jesus, on the cross of Calvary. God’s love will send the nutrients into the core of your being through which you will grow and His love in us will produce the fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We don’t “hold fast” to ceremonies or washing of hands! We hold fast to the Work of Jesus which cleanses us from all sin.

[1] Charles F. Pfeiffer, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1962), 40.

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Hebrews 4:12-13, Matthew 15:19-20, Jeremiah 17:9-10, 31:3

We All Have Dirty Hands

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 29, 2019

We can’t hide from God. God is, as theologians like to say, “omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent.” He is everywhere. He is all-knowing and He is all-powerful. It was once said that Jesus didn’t have to have anyone tell him about people because He knew what was in every man (See John 2:25). These “omni” traits of God are one of two things. First, they can be extremely frightening. We are afraid of a God who watches our every move and monitors our every thought. On the other hand, if we can understand what Jesus has done for us, God’s “omni” traits are quite comforting. He’s with me wherever I go. He knows everything about me. He’s able to do above and beyond anything we could think or ask. The author of Hebrews seems to be pointing this out to his readers so he can encourage them with the truth of the second approach. He writes in, Hebrews 4:13, “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

You and I do not have any skeletons in our closets with God. He is intimately aware of every act, thought, and even the motives of our hearts. The deepest, darkest parts of our being are all very well known by God. This verse is following up on Hebrews 4:12 which talks about “God’s Word” being able to cut through the bone and joints and marrow to reach into our deepest regions and even discern between our soul and spirit. He is able to discern “the intentions of the heart.” In Matthew 15:19-20, Jesus mentioned what man’s heart was like. He said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” Jesus is identifying himself with the God of Jeremiah 17:9-10. It says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart and test the mind…”

When I preach on God’s “omniscience” (All knowing) my first point is always, “What God Knows about Me.” Of course the obvious answer to that is “everything!” He surely knows the condition of our hearts. We’re not hiding anything from Him. But the beauty in this reality, and what brings real comfort to me is that yes, God’ knows all about me but He loves me anyway. This truth was declared by Jeremiah several times. He said as is recorded in Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” God’s love for mankind is the subject of the Old Testament. God’s love finds its ultimate expression on the Cross of Calvary. That’s why Paul says, “But God demonstrated His own love for us in this; while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” The Bible is the expression of God’s love for us all in spite of our crooked hearts. The Cross is the ultimate demonstration of that love. Jesus is God’s Word that cuts deep into us and exposes us and cleanses us at the same time. We’re all equal. The ground at the foot of the cross is level. I’ll never understand why we spend so much time focusing on the unwashed hands of others instead of dealing with own dirty hands.

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Hebrews 4:12, Romans 5:8

Jesus is God’s Word

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 29, 2019

I believe Hebrews 4:12 is one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The traditional understanding of this verse argues the “the word of God” is referring to the entire Bible. If we’re going to experience God’s rest as mentioned in the first 11 verses of Chapter 4, we’re going to have to spend more time in the Bible. Now, I love my Bible. It’s God’s “word” to all mankind. Don’t mistake my words here! But if we’re going to remain true to the context of this passage, we must at least consider the author referring to God’s Message to us. He’s not talking about the details of Genesis through Revelation. He’s talking about the Good News in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the “logos:” the Word of God in the flesh. The whole Bible is about God’s love for mankind! It’s true from Genesis 1 to the end of Malachi. But in Jesus, “The Word became Flesh.” Romans 5:8 is a key verse to understanding Jesus’ role in fulfilling the whole Old Testament. It says, “But God demonstrated His love for us in this; while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” God’s working with man was always a divine work of love but it seems to have been rejected in so many ways. But in Jesus, that Love cannot be denied; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The Law is not “living and active” but God’s love in Jesus is! The Law does not touch our being at the deepest parts, but God’s love in Jesus does. God’s law does not speak to us at the deepest level and move our hearts to love God and others in return. But God’s love in Jesus does. When we read New Testament passages that talk about “the word of God” be careful not to relegate that to a simple understanding of the Bible in and of itself. It’s referring to the “message” (Logos) of the Bible, which is God’s love for all mankind exhibited for everyone once and for all on the cross of Calvary. This is what the whole Bible is about! If you maintain your focus on Jesus while reading your Bible you will learn marvelous truths that will change the way you see everything in the world. It will especially change the way you see God and the way you read the Bible.

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