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Hebrews 3:12-15, Isaiah 64:6, Psalm 23:1, 2 Corinthians 12:9

Jesus is Sufficient

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 7, 2019

The author of the book of Hebrews is so grieved by the possibility of even true believers falling away from the joys of their salvation through Christ alone, he continues exhorting them against having hard hearts to the free gift of God’s grace through faith in Christ. The truth is we are so easily beguiled by legalists, even today, that this warning and exhortation is still relevant. In verses 12-15 he repeats the warning with even stronger emphasis. He writes, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’”

I know it sounds too good to be true, but salvation by grace through faith alone is the promise of Christ. Unbelieving hearts are “evil” because if Christ’s righteousness is dismissed we only have our own works of righteousness to trust in and they are as “filthy rags” to God (Isaiah 64:6). We have deserted the rest that comes with Christ and have reverted to living under the confines of the law which continually condemns us of our sinfulness. Even true believers can do that as we see again in the beginning phrase which addresses his readers as “brothers.” Sin is the most deceitful thing! It convinces us of our worthlessness and abandons us to our own resources which are totally inadequate. But Jesus filled the bill and meets our needs.

Regular, daily, exhortation is needed by us all because it’s our lot in life to want to fall back into the religion of self-justification. We grew up with the idea of sowing and reaping and we know that it’s too good to be true that we sowed sin but Jesus reaped the consequences for us on the Cross. I need to try harder! I need to do more! I need, I need, I need! Unfortunately most pulpits continue to exhort people to try harder instead of exhorting people to stand firm and hold on strong to the truth that my needs have been met in Christ. The Lord is my shepherd. He is the great shepherd and “I do not want.” The full sufficiency of Christ is at stake. His person and work on the cross is enough to set the record straight with God or it isn’t.  In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Jesus told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you.” It still is!

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Hebrews 3:7, Mark 16:14, Matthew 13:15,2 Corinthians 3:14, Galatians 2:21

What is a Hard Heart?

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 26, 2019

In Hebrews 3:7, the author says that the Israelites failed to enter the rest across the Jordan because they had “hard hearts.” It seems that the Bible uses the idea of a hard heart when it refers to those who reject God’s Word for whatever reason. The Israelites referred to in Psalm 95 as quoted by the author of Hebrews failed to believe God’s promise of rest beyond the Jordan because of fear of those who already occupied the land. They truly liked what they saw regarding the land itself. Their report included the fact that the grapes and fruits were better than anything they had ever seen. But to them it was too good to be true. Coming from a history of around 400 years of slavery, they could not believe that God intended such a wonderful thing for them and that it was theirs simply for the taking. They wouldn’t believe that because their hearts were hard.

Jesus frequently called those who rejected His wonderful message of saving grace apart from the confines of the law hardhearted. He wants to save them and us from slavery under a system that we could never live up to and from which we could never be free on our own. All of us, under the law, are sin-sick and cannot help ourselves. Jesus said, “For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them” (Matthew 13:15). Even believers sometimes fall into the trap of unbelief because Jesus’ message is just too good to be true. Even Jesus’ disciples had trouble with this. “Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen” (Mark 16:14).

What’s too good to be true? What’s so hard to believe? Righteousness is ours apart from the law. Jesus fulfilled the demands of the law on our behalf. The only righteousness available to us today is free! It’s the gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. That’s too good to be true. Jesus declared that the Old Testament was about Himself and that Moses testified to this truth. But legalists cannot hear that. The Amplified Bible translates 2 Corinthians 3:14 this way, “In fact, their minds were grown hard and calloused [they had become dull and had lost the power of understanding]; for until this present day, when the Old Testament (the old covenant) is being read, that same veil still lies [on their hearts], not being lifted [to reveal] that in Christ it is made void and done away.” When we focus on what we do, rather than on what Christ did for us we will lose out on God’s rest. Paul says in Galatians 2:21 “if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”

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Matthew 11:28-29, Hebrews 3:7-11, Psalm 95

What Matters Most

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 25, 2019

In Matthew 11:28-29, Jesus calls His listeners to “‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’” The heavy burdens Jesus is referring to are those demands laid upon them by the religious leaders. They demand strict adherence to Moses to such an extent no one could ever live up to their expectations. But the Law is even heavier than the religious leaders thought. Jesus told them that the command against adultery included the idea of lusting. He told them that the command against murder dealt with hatred as well (see Matthew 5:27). The law of Moses as properly understood is a burden impossible for us to carry. Its intent, as Paul explains, is the make us conscious of our sinfulness. He makes it clear that any righteousness that we might attain through the law is insufficient. He says in Galatians 2:21 “if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”

There is no rest in the law for anyone, but there is plenty of rest in Jesus! If we put our confidence and hope in Christ alone there is rest indeed. But even believers can miss out on this rest when they drift back into the system of law in which they must earn God’s acceptance and love. There are always those around who will warn us and exhort us and nag us and cajole us of the importance of keeping God’s laws! Even professing Christians slip from God’s grace into the trap of law keeping and what happens to the rest we enjoy in Christ? It is gone! Hebrews 3:7-11 is a quote from Psalm 95 about the loss of God’s rest by the children of Israel. It says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, they always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways. As I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest.”

There was no rest for that generation because they failed to trust God’s promise to give them rest across the Jordan. They lost confidence in God’s provision and forfeited His rest. The generation that came out of Egypt remained God’s household even though they didn’t enjoy the rest He promised them. The loss of enjoying Jesus’ rest is still a possibility for true believers today. Tanner observes, “This warning is directed to God’s people (genuine believers) indicating that believers are capable of hardening their hearts against God and experiencing His judgment. To suggest that all those who died in the wilderness were unbelievers (and eventually went to hell) is simply not sustainable.”[1] If we step out of the wonderful rest Jesus gives us from the impossible demands and burdens of the law, we will miss out on what matters most in life.

[1] J. Paul Tanner, “The Epistle to the Hebrews,” in The Grace New Testament Commentary, ed. Robert N. Wilkin (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2010), 1043.

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Hebrews 3:1-6

Jesus is my hope!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 24, 2019

In his discussion about Jesus’ superiority to Moses, the author of Hebrews says that Moses was a faithful servant in “God’s house” and as a part of God’s house, but Jesus was the builder of that house and therefore is deserving of more honor. He means we should pay very close attention to what Jesus has to say because, “Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” Moses was a “servant” in the house of God while Jesus is the son, heir, over God’s house of which Moses is a part.  The writer made a big deal out of Jesus being superior to all the angels in chapter 1 because God never refers to one of them as His son. He says instead that angels are, as the Contemporary English Version says, “Angels are merely spirits sent to serve people who are going to be saved.” Just as the angels are mere servants, so too is Moses. But Jesus is the begotten heir of the Father and is “over” the house of God.

The house of God is not referring to the tabernacle or the temple as some commentators suggest, rather it is referring to the people of God as verse 6 says, “we (the people) are His house.” The people of Israel made up the household of God in the Old Testament but in these days believers in Jesus make up the household of God in the church age. However, according to the last phrase in this verse there is something one must do to “remain” in the house of God. We must “hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” The most important thing to notice is that whatever this means it’s addressed to people, the author includes himself, who are already referred to as “brothers” who “share in the hope of heaven.”

They are believers in Jesus but they must persevere and, as Tanner points out, “Their status as genuine believers does not guarantee this. In their earthly pilgrimage to the Son’s kingdom, they must be sure to ’hold fast.’” [1] I’m arguing that what we must “hold fast” to is the all sufficiency of Christ! His righteousness satisfies God’s requirements for us. It is only this that gives God’s children rest from their labors as the writer will explain shortly. If we let the Law, Moses, have the prominent place in our daily living, there is no rest. We still labor to earn God’s love and acceptance in His house.  But that place has been purchased and paid for completely by Christ. He’s the builder of this house and we are part of that. We must hold fast to that truth and not let the focus on the law lure us from the peace we have as God’s children. My “confidence” is not in myself to keep Moses’ laws! I’ve already failed miserably in so many ways! My confidence is in His righteousness on my behalf. I have nothing to boast about in myself. The only boasting I have is in Christ alone. He is my hope! What’s your hope?

[1] J. Paul Tanner, “The Epistle to the Hebrews,” in The Grace New Testament Commentary, ed.
Robert N. Wilkin (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2010), 1042–1043.

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Hebrews 3:5, Deuteronomy 18:18-19, John 1:1, John 5:45-46

Moses’ Testimony

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 23, 2019

In comparing Jesus with Moses, the author of Hebrews says that both Jesus and Moses were faithful to their calling. But Jesus deserves more honor just as the builder has more honor than the building. He then adds, “Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later.” Moses was a prophet and made some interesting predictions about the future, most significant of which comes at the end of his five books in Deuteronomy. In chapter 31 and verse 29, Moses says that he knows they will disobey the laws that he brought to them from God. Although they spread out across two mountains and shouted “we will obey” back and forth, Moses knew they would fail. This is probably part of what the writer of Hebrews was referring to, but I’d argue there was something more.

When confronted by the religious leaders for healing a lame man on the Sabbath, Jesus rebuked them by saying, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39). Further in that discussion Jesus explains that there will be a witness against them for rejecting Him. He won’t have to testify against them, for their own prophet, Moses, will convict them. Jesus says in John 5:45-46, “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.” What did Moses say about Jesus? When the nation refused to hear from God on the mountain out of fear, Moses tells them that God will raise up a prophet from amongst themselves to speak to them. He says in Deuteronomy 18:18-19, “I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him.  I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf.”

Jesus is that Prophet! Moses’ testimony stands as a witness to the future proclamations of Jesus. Moses was the greatest of Israels prophets. Whoever wrote the postscript to Moses’ life (Maybe Joshua) said of Moses, “And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.” John writes something similar in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.”  The Greek phrase we translate “with God” is “pros ton theon.” Lenski suggests the phrase means that Jesus was “in the presence of God and turned in loving, inseparable communion toward God, and God turned equally toward him.”[1] According to another commentator, “The word was used to describe being ‘face to face’ with another.” I believe John is clearly identifying Jesus as the prophet that Moses prophesied about. So even Moses tells us, “Jesus is greater! Listen to Him!”

[1] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 32–33.

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Hebrews 3:2-3, Numbers 12:7

The building or the Builder?

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 22, 2019

The second verse of Hebrews chapter 3 continues the comparison between Moses and Jesus. It says that Jesus “was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.” This is God’s testimony regarding Moses’ faithfulness not just the author of the Book of Hebrews.  Back in the book of Numbers (12:7) when Aaron and Miriam challenged Moses’ authority, God speaks and says that in the past He spoke to prophets through dreams and visions, “But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.” It’s obvious that the writer of Hebrews is quoting from Numbers. Moses’ faithfulness is with respect to God’s house or household.  This refers to the people of God. Moses did God’s bidding, although reluctantly, in leading God’s people out of slavery in Egypt. But Jesus had a more honorable role with respect to God’s people.

Hebrews 3:3 explains this. Putting verses 2 and 3 together, it says Jesus “was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.” If “God’s house” is referring to God’s household as I believe it does, then it’s right to say “in” God’s house includes the fact that Moses was part of God’s household. God chose him to a specific task within God’s people and God stood up for Moses when he was challenged by others with respect to that calling.

The writer of Hebrews leans on what he had already said in Hebrews 1:2. God used to send his “Word” to his household through His prophets, of which Moses was one, “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Moses was faithful to His calling and deserves recognition. But Jesus was the caller. Jesus was the builder of the house of which Moses was just a part of. Whereas Moses spoke words from God to God’s people, Jesus is the “Word” of God Himself. Moses was a messenger. Jesus was both the messenger and the message! Choose the builder!

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Hebrews 3:1, Romans 3:20, Matthew 11:28

We Believe in Jesus!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 21, 2019

The author of Hebrews is speaking to those who have come to faith in Jesus and are living in the hope of heaven. Verse 1 of chapter 3 says, “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession…” Our “confession” might more clearly be translated as our “profession.” The literal rendering of that Greek word is “say the same thing.” Guzik adds, “In regard to salvation, all Christians ‘say the same thing’ about their need for salvation and God’s provision in Jesus.”[1] The author is addressing those who have made a profession of faith in Jesus. He’s reminding them that they have chosen Jesus over Moses! The problem he addresses is that Moses, the law, sneaks back into our lives and takes over our devotion. We become more interested in doing good and exhorting others to do good than being declared good through our faith in Christ.

Jesus calls us to “rest” in Him; “Come to me all of you who are burdened down with religion and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  He calls it rest for “your souls.” When we come to faith in Christ, the burden of our failure under the law, our sins, is taken off our backs and we’re set free. We have true rest! Repentance is the acceptance of the reality of our own personal failure to live up to standards of the law. But the pull of religion is extremely strong. Once we receive God’s forgiveness in Christ, we are easily persuaded that we can now go back to living up to the standards of the law. But what invariably happens is we fail again and again. There is no “rest” in trying to live up to the standards of a law that was given to show us we can’t. The New Living Translation accurately renders Romans 3:20, “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.”

There is no rest in trying to live up to the standards of the law! But Jesus promises us “rest for our souls” if we come to him. Coming to faith in Christ is like coming in out of the wind and rain of the law. In Christ we find rest, protection, and comfort. But the tendency in our flesh is to want to step back out into the storm of the law and demonstrate how we can stand up to it now. Once again, we find there is no rest outside of Christ. He is the subject of our profession. Our faith is not about how good we might become or about how much we might accomplish in life. Our faith always sees Christ as the subject and looks to Him, reflects diligently on Him, and finds rest in Him. The problem that Paul addressed in Galatians and the author of the book of Hebrews seems to be addressing is not just “entering” into God’s rest, but staying there.

[1] David Guzik, Hebrews, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Heb 3:1b.

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Hebrews 3:1, John 9:28-29

Choose Jesus!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 19, 2019

The first three verses of Hebrews chapter 1 are about how Jesus is superior to the prophets. God speaks to us through Jesus now, not prophets. Hebrews 1:4-2:18 is about how Jesus is superior to the angels. The angels are messengers from God, but Jesus is both the messenger and the message from God.  Chapter 3 begins his discussion on how Jesus is far superior to Moses and far more deserving of honor. To the Jews in Jesus’ day, Moses was the bomb! They rejected Jesus and claimed to be disciples of Moses (John 9:28-29). Pink writes, “During the most memorable portion of their history, all of God’s dealings with Israel were transacted through him (Moses). His position of nearness to Jehovah was remarkable, awesome, unique. He was in his own person, prophet, priest and king. Through him the whole of the Levitical economy was instituted. By him the Tabernacle was built. Thus we can well understand the high esteem in which the Jews held this favored man of God.”[1]

It was inconceivable to the Jewish leaders that this Jesus, standing before them in the flesh, was to be more highly esteemed and praised than Moses. That was heresy to even consider such a thing. But that’s exactly what the author of Hebrews called his readers to do; consider it! The first verse of chapter three calls us to think profoundly about it and to reflect on this “Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.” Moses was certainly “sent” by God, as were all the prophets and angels of old. The Greek word for sent is “apostello.” An apostle was one sent by God. Moses certainly was an apostle in that regard, but Jesus was “the” sent one! Moses was a prophet of old but Jesus was “the” apostle. Yes Moses performed prophetic miracles, but Jesus performed more! By the hand of God, Moses did incredible miracles that delivered a whole nation from slavery, but Jesus did incredible miracles that delivered individuals from sickness, blindness, imprisonment, and even death! Moses was sent by God to redeem a people. Jesus was sent by God to redeem all people!

It’s easy to see how Moses served as a priest to his people. He interceded for them when they broke the Law of God. He even dissuaded God from the entire destruction of the sinful nation. Moses offered sacrifices for the people. Moses sprinkled the blood for the people. Moses gave them drinkable water in a poisoned land. Yes, and more. Moses was certainly a priest for the people. But Jesus is “the” priest for all the people.  He was the sacrifice that satisfies God’s anger over all sin. It’s His very own blood that eliminates the need for any other sacrifice from us. He completely and totally makes peace with God for us. When we choose to focus our attention on the law and our own righteousness, we in essence choose Moses. The author of Hebrews is still addressing people who have been so ingrained and trained in religion that it’s inconceivable to turn from the law to Christ. That’s us! We still want religious rituals, restrictions, and regulations in order to prove ourselves worthy rather than accept the grace of God that makes us worthy through faith in Jesus. We have a choice! Choose Jesus!

[1] Arthur Walkington Pink, An Exposition of Hebrews (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1954), 143.

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