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THE NEW COVENANT THROUGH JESUS Quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34, the book of Hebrews explained why the new covenant superceded the old.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
THE SUPREME SUFFICIENCY OF CHRIST’S SACRIFICE Hebrews contrasts the daily offerings of Levitical priests with the “once for all” offering of Christ Jesus. The reason for daily sacrifices by the sons of Aaron are several. First, they themselves are sinful and must offer daily sacrifices “first for their own sins.” Second, “since they are prevented
JESUS, OUR ETERNAL HIGH PRIEST Quoting Psalm 110:4 (“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek”), the book of Hebrews declares Jesus to be the fulfillment of this messianic prophecy. Jesus is our eternal high priest. Melchizedek is a Christological type, foreshadowing Jesus the Messiah. Melchizedek, whose name means “King of Righteousness,”
HAVE YOU BECOME SPIRITUALLY LAZY? There are some of us who after hearing and believing the gospel become sluggish and slothful in loving others and living for Christ. How can this be since we are assured of inheriting God’s promises? Perhaps it is because we misunderstand our faith, thinking we can hold it passively, when
FIVE WORDS FOR WORSHIPING THE LORD There are five words for worshiping the Lord given in the first two verses of Psalms 105. Do you see them? Five words for worshiping: 1) THANKS – Give God gratitude for everything. Bring your tithes and offerings into His house with thanksgiving. 2) CALL – Call on
JESUS, OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST Jesus is our Great High Priest. He is well acquainted with all of our “weaknesses” because he has experienced them too. Therefore, we can pray with boldness in the name of Jesus, knowing that He sympathizes and will represent us before the Father. Jesus has opened the way for us,
HARD HEART OR HEARING HEART? This verse is a quotation of Psalm 95:8. It was a reference to Israel’s forty years of wilderness wanderings because of their unbelief. They did not believe God’s promise to give them the Promised Land when ten of the twelve spies brought back a negative report. They rebelled against God
THE SIZE OF GOD’S MERCY David attempted to describe the size of God’s mercy by comparing it to the heavens and earth. He imagined the height of God’s mercy as rising as high as the heavens, and the breadth of His mercy being as wide as the “east is from the west.” Yet in