The Levitical system of worship was symbolic of the reality to come, The Priest entered the Holy of Holies with the blood of animals. Jesus Christ our Great High Priest entered the Heavenly reality with His own blood 9:12. See John 20:17 was this when Jesus entered His Fathers presence with His own blood?

The first covenant could not free anyone from sin. Jesus died for the sins of those who were no longer alive but who had died in faith, we will read more of this in chapter eleven. Jesus saving death and glorious resurrection was once and for all 9:15

Jesus is the Way into the holy presence of God, when Jesus died on the cross the curtain that separated the Holy place from the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom. This curtain represented Christs flesh Hebrews 10:20, the veil that separated God and man is no more. Jesus has entered Heaven itself to be our advocate 9:24. Jesus Blood 1 Cleanses our conscience 1John 20:19-21. 2 Purifies our hearts from deeds that lead to death. 3 Frees us from sins power 9: 12-14. Jesus Blood is the evidence of His death, confirming the new covenant is now in effect 9:16, 9:12. Jesus died once to take our sins and is coming again to bring salvation to those who are eagerly waiting for Him 9:28

Verse to remember

For Christ has entered into Heaven itself to appear now before God as our Advocate. Hebrews 9:24 (A) N.L.T.

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The perfect sacrifice of Jesus ended forever all need for the Levitical priests and animal sacrifices.8:6

Moses had to follow the exact pattern laid down by God when the tabernacle was being built because it was to express the spiritual reality of Jesus sacrifice and what was to come. Judaism was a shadow of what was to come. while all who put their faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their personal sins have the reality.

The old covenant failed because it was based on keeping laws without giving people any power to keep them. The New covenant is a covenant of God’s grace empowered by the Holy Spirit 8:9-11, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” John1:17.

Never allow yourself to be drawn back from the grace of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will help you to maintain your stand.

A verse to remember

When God speaks of a new covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and ready to be put aside. Hebrews 8:13 N.L.T.

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Melchizedek ( you read about him in Genesis 14:18-20) was a type of Christ and possibly the pre-incarnate Christ himself, blessed Abraham and received tithes from Abraham.This happened around six hundred years before the Law of Moses and the start of the Levitical priesthood 7:1-3

Unlike the Levitical Priests who had to offer sacrifices for sins again and again. Jesus sacrificed Himself for our sins once and for all 7:27 Ask yourself are there any past, present, or future sins He has not forgiven? This is a mystery but this does not mean that we have liberty to continue to sin deliberately. Romans 6:1-2, 1 John 1:8-9, 5:18. All our sins were in the future when Jesus died for our sins! Jesus also died not only for those who were alive at that time but also for those of faith who had already died. This is why Jesus our Great High Priest unlike the Levitical priests who were all subject to death, is a priest forever because of the power of an endless Life 7:16

Verse to remember

Because of God’s oath, it is Jesus who guarantees the effectiveness of this better covenant. Hebrews 7:22 N.L.T.

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If we are to mature as christians we need to move on from (but not away from) the basics of our faith. Baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal Judgements. Mature christians should be teaching these basics to New christians, and by being good examples putting what they have learnt into action. So that both young and older christians make real growth just as the Lord intends. Introductory courses to christianity are great and they are very good evangelistic tools. However unfortunately some folk never seem to move on they prefer the milk and are happier to go on the next beginners course rather than join a local church. I think its quite clear what the Holy Spirit is saying to us all “stop going over the basics of your faith again and again!” 6:1-3

In the first century, Jewish Christians who turned away from Jesus Christ and returned to Judaism deliberately cut themselves off from God’s forgiveness they became apostate. A deliberate abandonment of Christian faith is not backsliding these verses are not about falling into sin but about denouncing Jesus Christ as Lord and saviour. 6:6-8

We christians can have such assurance of salvation because not only do we have God’s own promise we also have God’s own oath. Remember! God is unable to lie, that is why the confident assurance of our personal salvation in Jesus Christ can never be shaken.

A verse to remember

This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God’s inner sanctuary. Hebrews 6:19 N.L.T.

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Jesus is our perfect High Priest because 1 He was appointed by God. 2 He experienced what it was to be fully human 3 He had no need to make any sacrifices for His own sins for He is sinless. 4 He made sacrifice for sin when He offered Himself for the sins of the people. 5 He understands and has sympathy for each of us. 5:4-9

Jesus was never disobedient we know this because as the spotless lamb of God Jesus never sinned. It means that Jesus learnt what it meant to be obedient and actively sought obedience even though He knew it would lead Him to suffer the most terrible of all deaths. Jesus was always morally perfect His obedience demonstrates to us that when we face the most trying of circumstances, He is able to help us to obey 5:8

There is a time to drink milk (pre-digested solid food) referring to one who has just been saved, and a time to eat solid food. A new born baby needs milk at first, but needs to progress to solid food to grow strong 5:13 Its similar for us if we don’t desire to make progress we are in danger of stagnating and becoming deaf to the voice of God. 5:14 is a promise for the mature, those who have put what they have learned into practice. They will be able to discern what is true and what is false. How very important this promise from the Lord for the days in we live.

A verse to remember

So even though Jesus was God’s Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered. Hebrews 5:8 N.L.T.

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Time is precious but please listen to the audio as well as reading the notes

Israel failed to enter God’s promised rest when they refused to believe the good report brought by Joshua and Caleb to enter the land of Canna. Instead they chose to accept the negative report the ten spies brought. However God gave their children another chance forty years later under the leadership of Joshua, but again they failed to fully press in and posses all the promised land. Their unbelief led to disobedience and a forfeiture of God’s promised rest. The writer of Hebrews understood that for some of the Jewish readers of Hebrews their faith was being put to the test. Should they continue to believe in Jesus entering into His rest, or return to Judaism and their old ways of trying to get right with God? 4:1

God rested from his labor after the six days of creation not because He was tired but because He was satisfied with His creation and saw everything He had made was good. Our ultimate rest will be in God’s new creation at the end of this present age. But we don’t need to wait until then. Our sabbath rest began when we first trusted in Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation. From first till last God’s promised rest is ours, God’s Rest is His personal gift to each one. The indwelling Holy Spirit is given to take the strain ( comfort, guide, and help us) so that what God calls us to do is done with God’s own strength 4:11

Question! how much of what we christians do, is the will of God and done in the strength of the Holy Spirit?

Hebrews chapter four shows us two wonderful ways God has chosen to encourage our faith 1 through His Word and by it He tests our motives. am I living in the soulish realm or the spiritual? 2 We can also Tcome to Jesus who is our great high priest He is merciful and dispenses grace just when we need it 4:14-16

Christ’s throne of grace is a place of rest for the weary traveller!

A verse to remember

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it. Hebrews 4:16 N.L.T.

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Time is precious! but please listen to the audio as well as reading my musings!

Pause for thought

Hebrews was written to encourage Jewish converts to Christianity to holdfast to their Heavenly calling. Because of their Jewish heritage it was relatively easy to give in to the pull of their former Jewish religion. Although Hebrews was written to Jewish believers its message is for every christian wether Jew or gentile in every age.

As Apostle of our confession Jesus represents God to His people (is the message and the messenger) As High Priest Jesus represents His people to God ( Jesus is able to represent us because he experienced all our frailties without sinning) 3:1-2

Moses was greatly revered by every Jew as a servant who served God’s Jewish household. But Jesus Christ is not only in charge of God’s entire household that now includes both Jew and Gentile, Jesus is the builder of that household, yet another reason for every believer to maintain their hope in Jesus Christ. 3:8

Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness happened in spite of seeing many miraculous signs and wonders, the final straw was broken when they refused to enter the promised land ( a type of Gods rest) The writer to the Hebrews uses this as a warning to Jewish Christians not to turn back but to keep on believing in Jesus Christ as the only WAY to enter God’s true rest. I think that rest refers to our present rest as we trust or rest in Christ. And can also refer to a future heavenly rest. 3:18-19, 4:1

memory verse

But Christ, the faithful Son, was in charge of the entire household. And we are God’s household, if we keep up our courage and remain confident of our hope in Christ. Hebrews. 4:6 N.L.T.

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Pause for thought

We must pay attention to the truth that God has spoken to us through the bible (putting into practice what we’ve heard. James 1:22-25) if we do we shall be able to stand firm against the tricks of the devil if we don’t we are in danger of drifting away from not only the truth of the gospel but from God himself 2:1

Hebrews makes it clear that the message of salvation was spoken by Jesus Christ. This is why we must be even more diligent to believe it. God verified the message with signs wonders and miracles, anyone who drifts away after hearing the message of Gods Son is in grave danger.

Truth’s to hold firmly from this chapter. 1 The gospel message was brought from heaven to earth by Jesus v3 2 The world to come will be ruled and controlled by Jesus v8 3 Jesus became a human like us (lower than Angels) so that he could taste death for every human v9 4 Jesus the holy Son of God is able to make believers as holy as himself v11 5 Jesus calls us His brothers v11 6 Jesus became like us so that by his death he destroyed the devil and the fear of death in us v14-15 6 Jesus had to become like us so that He is able to aid us by being a merciful and. faithful High Priest v17

We can avoid drifting if we not only remember all that Jesus has done for us but keep thanking Jesus for everything He has done for us.

memory verse

Since He himself has gone through suffering and temptation, He is able to help us when we are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18 N.L.T.

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Although Hebrews was written to Jewish believers in Jesus Christ. (author unknown possibly Paul, Luke, Barnabas, Apollos?) whoever it was this book is relevant not only to Jews and early believers in Christ it is thoroughly up to date. Hebrews was written to those Jews who may of been considering returning to Judaism perhaps because of their lack of understanding of who Christ was. Hebrews was written to reveal Jesus true identity as God. It keeps todays believer Jew or gentile rightly focussed on Jesus and His ongoing ministry for His church 1:3.

As wonderful as were the many ways God spoke in time past, now God has not only spoken but revealed His own self through His Son. Jesus is the express image of who God is which is why every word He spoke and every thing he did, he did exactly as God His Father would of done Jesus did not do anything say anything His Father was not saying! Jesus did not only speak the word of God He is the word, Jesus always was the word from before the universe which was created by Him 1:1-3.John 1:1-14. Mathew 21:33 onwards.

The first born 1:6 could refer to Christ’s incarnation, or second coming. but in the context of this chapter probably means His preeminence. We must never forget that Jesus God the Son, has no beginning or end He always was and existed long before His incarnation 1:12

Jesus as ”Lord of creation” laid out the foundation of the earth, and He created everything in the universe and the universe itself. One day this ageing heaven and earth will pass away and in its place will be a new heaven and earth a home for God and His new creations. question as Christ created and sustains the whole of creation by His Word of command. How big a part did/does the Word play in your life?

A verse to remember

The Son reflects God’s own glory, and everything about Him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of His command. After He died to cleanse us from the stain of sin. He sat down in the place of honour at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven. Hebrews 1:3 N.L.T.

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Pause for thought

Do you long as in the words of an old hymn “ Here from the world we turn Jesus to meet” ? then you would of enjoyed the company of the writer of Psalm 84 who was longing to meet God in the Temple courts. We can meet with God at any place at anytime, but as many have found stepping aside from the world to meet with God involves much more than finding a space in a church building or a even a place in the countryside. Do you remember the words of Jesus when speaking to the Samaritan woman? teaching us that whatever the perceived benefits of a quiet location its the preparation of the heart that counts. ” Neither on this mountain or in Jerusalem, the true worshippers will worship in spirit and in truth for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (my paraphrase of John 4:21-24)

The Psalmist envies the sparrow and swallow who could just fly into Gods presence at will! consider the obstacles the OT worshippers had to overcome to be allowed into the temple? Hebrews 5. In a sense we Christians have more in common with the sparrow that flew at will into the temple and build its nest in Gods very presence than with the OT worshippers. Think how Jesus compared believers to the sparrow Mathew 10:29-31

The pilgrims way up to Jerusalem and the Temple passed through the Valley of Baca which was a dry desolate valley. This valley has become symbolic of times of extreme struggles and tears that every genuine pilgrim has to face. Those who ” set their hearts on pilgrimage” know that their pilgrimage leads them closer to God not away from Him. The pilgrim way passes through the valley of baca we don’t camp there!

As you pass through your valley trusting in the Lord it will become barren no longer but be filled with springs of rejoicing 5-7

Chorus to sing?

As I walk through that dark lonesome valley the Saviour will walk with me there, and safely his good hand will guide me to mansions he’s gone to prepare. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

memory verse

No good thing will the Lord with-hold from those who do what is right Psalm 84:11 N.L.T.

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