September 22, 2024
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Hebrews 5:11-6:8
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Christian maturity, exposition, jesus, maturity
From the time of our birth, parents and doctors begin to measure our physical growth. Educators measure our intellectual growth. Banks and credit agencies measure our financial growth. They all have goals for where we should be in order to be considered healthy or to graduate or to qualify for a loan. But what about spiritual growth? Does God have a goal for our spiritual growth? Many in the church today seem to be unaware of this greater goal.
So the greater goal is not to just make converts, but to make Christ-followers, to make disciples of Jesus who grow up to maturity becoming like Him in every way. Because as Dallas Willard warned, “The way to get more people into heaven is to get heaven into more people. And if you don’t do that, then you wind up with a group of people that are testimonies against heaven.”
What’s your goal in life? Is your life a testimony for heaven or against heaven? Are you growing spiritually? Since becoming a Christian, are you growing more like Jesus? In the epistle of Hebrews, the Jewish background believers were warned not to fall away from the goal of growing to maturity in Jesus. We can heed the warning not to fall away from the goal of growing to maturity in Jesus.
June 23, 2024
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Hebrews 6:13-20
In a world where everything is in flux and constantly changing, don’t you wish you had something or someone that you could depend on? Someone who didn’t change?
God is unchanging. That’s what we want to “know” more about God today. In Hebrews chapter 6, believers were reminded that they could hold fast to an unchanging God in an ever-changing world.
November 19, 2023
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Hebrews 5:1-10
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exposition
Do you ever feel like Job? “If only there were someone who could bring me together with God!” Someone who not only understands you and your situation, but also is able to bring you near to God? That was the purpose of the Old Testament high priest. He represented the people before God. Yet, they had shortcomings. Their ministry was always only a foreshadowing of the ministry of Jesus Christ.
In Hebrews 5:1-10, the author helped the Hebrew background believers understand why Jesus is a greater high priest. We can understand why Jesus is the greater high priest.
November 16, 2023
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace” (Hebrews 13:8-9 NLT). 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
November 15, 2023
“Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking” (Hebrews 12:25 NLT). 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
November 14, 2023
“And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:1b-2a NLT). Running the race of faith, it is Jesus who sets the pace for us. So we must keep our eyes on Him,
November 13, 2023
“It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies” (Hebrews 11:31 NLT). Rahab lived in the ancient city of Jericho. She was a business woman who ran a house that offered meals,
November 12, 2023
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Hebrews 4:14-16
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exposition
We all want special treatment, special access, especially to something or someone we deem important or valuable to us. We want to go backstage. We want to be able to sit in the reserved seats. We want to sit courtside and actually meet the players and coaches and feel that we’re part of the team. We all have this deep need to know and be known. At its deepest level, I think this is a God-given desire for fellowship, with God and with others. God made us that way. And we’ll feel disconnected and spiritually empty until we find access to Him.
How are you feeling about your relationship with God today? Do you feel close to God or distant today? Do you feel you have VIP access to Him In Hebrews 4:14-16, the Jewish background believers were challenged to respond rightly to Jesus as the great high priest opening up a greater access to God’s throne of grace. We can respond rightly to Jesus as the great high priest who opens up greater access to God.
November 12, 2023
“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1 NLT). Hebrews begins its eleventh chapter with a biblical definition of faith. Chapter eleven might be called the “Faith Hall of Fame.” For following its definition, examples of people living with biblical faith are listed.
November 11, 2023
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (Hebrews 10:23 NLT). 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