RELYING ON THE NEVER CHANGING CHRIST IN AN EVER CHANGING WORLD The author of Hebrews warned believers not to be “led astray” by strange and various teachings that might come along. They were to remember the teachings and conduct of those who first shared the gospel with them and discipled them in the Word. In
DO YOU OBEY THE ONE WHO SPEAKS? Have you ever refused to listen to the Spirit of Christ? Has He knocked at your heart’s door and been refused entrance? Consider those in the Old Testament who refused to obey God when He spoke. What became of them? And now, Jesus, the One who mediates the
KEEPING YOUR FOCUS ON JESUS Running the race of faith, it is Jesus who sets the pace for us. So we must keep our eyes on Him, sprinting and leaping when He does. And turning aside to rest when He does too. For Jesus is both the Founder and the Finisher of our faith. He
FAITH IN GOD CHANGES OUR IDENTITY AND OUR FUTURE Rahab lived in the ancient city of Jericho. She was a business woman who ran a house that offered meals, lodging and other entertainments. Both here in Hebrews 11 and in Joshua 2:1 and Joshua 6:22-25, Rahab was called a harlot. However, that identity did not
WHAT IS FAITH? Hebrews begins its eleventh chapter with the biblical definition of faith. Chapter eleven might be called the faith hall of fame. For following its definition, examples of biblical faith are listed. Yet before we think about this definition, we must clarify the kind of faith of which we speak. This is not
HOLDING ON WITH UNWAVERING HOPE Christian hope is confident hope. For Christian hope is based on the promises of God. Since this hope is anchored to God’s promises we can be assured that our hope will not be disappointed. For God is faithful. So rather than hanging on to the temporal things we can see,
DO YOU HAVE A HEART FOR GOD? David declared the confidence of his heart towards God. In other words, David had set and established his heart on God. He had fixed his focus on God alone. Having made God the object of his heart’s desire and confidence, he declared his intent to sing and give
CHRIST WILL APPEAR A SECOND TIME The Messiah, Jesus Christ, has already accomplished our redemption by the offering of Himself for our sins. Yet, He will appear a second time, not because there is anything unfinished for our salvation, but that He might bring to us its final fulfillment, namely our resurrection bodies fit for
GOD TAKES NO PLEASURE IN DEATH The prophet Ezekiel recorded God’s response to Israel’s false accusations against Him. For they accused God of being unjust and taking pleasure in their demise. They accused Him of holding the sons responsible for the sins of the fathers. They accused God of being unfair in His treatment of
THE NEW COVENANT THROUGH JESUS Quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34, the book of Hebrews explained why the new covenant superceded the old. The old covenant, which was the law mediated through Moses, was written on stone tablets. But the new covenant, which is by the grace of God through Jesus, is written on human hearts. The purpose