Today's reading: Hebrews 9:11-28

'And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.' - Hebrews 9:27-28 ESV

Thomas Edison and his researchers in Edison's laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J., tested more than 3,000 designs for light bulbs between 1878 and 1880. They needed all of these unsuccessful attempts to get to their finished product.

How about Jesus? How many times did He need to carry out his rescue plan? It took one cross, a single offering, to atone for our many mistakes. When we receive this lavish gift of grace, we are forgiven and set on a new path that leads to life (see Matthew 7:13-14).

Yet that isn't all. One day Jesus will come for a second time to bring justice to completion (all will be made right). Who is it that will be saved? Those who "eagerly await" him. This is one Greek word, and it means to "look forward expectantly."

Jesus saved us by His death when we came to Him in faith. Now we look ahead, not fearfully, but hopefully.

And as we established at the start, Jesus is an expert in saving.

Today’s reading: Hebrews 9:1-10

'In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant.' - Hebrews 9:4 NLT

Ever wondered why these three items were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant? A few years ago, I read that all three were rich with significance when it came to Israel's history.

1. Jar containing manna // Exodus 16:14-36, Numbers 11:1-14

2. Aaron's staff that sprouted // Numbers 16-17

3. Stone tablets (10 Commandments) // Exodus 20, 25:16, 32:19

If you take the time to read all of these passages, you'll see that each of them were physical reminders from times of Israelite rebellion. The people moaned about the manna, they questioned Aaron's leadership, and they straight up worshiped an idol (resulting in the first tablets being smashed).

Why place warnings in the Ark? Why not put a copy of the Song of Moses in there or maybe a section of Moses' miraculous staff?

It seems clear that these three were to be perpetual reminders of their great need for Yahweh. They would not be able to live their best life by their own strength. Our natural course is sinful defiance against God, trying to create our own way, making gods of ourselves and our culture.

Today, they help us to see how blessed we are to have a Lord and Savior like Jesus, by whose stripes we are healed (see 1 Peter 2:24).

Today's reading: Hebrews 8:1-13

'For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.' - Hebrews 8:12 ESV

This section is a direct quote from Jeremiah 31:31-34. The theme of that Old Testament passage is focused around the promise of the Israelites' return to Jerusalem after 70 years of exile. Yet Jeremiah (by the Holy Spirit) is overshooting in his prophecy to the time when Jesus came to set up a new covenant.

The way he speaks of sin here would have been mindblowing to a Jewish reader, largely because of their continued need for sacrifices. The cycle for them included piles of sin that would need rolling back regularly. Sin was never truly satisfied and driven out by "the blood of bulls and goats (Hebrews 10:4)."

Does God really forget our sin when He forgives us via the blood of Jesus? God is omniscient (all-knowing), but now our sin account is paid in full. Donald Gutherie writes that this passage "is reassuring because it means that forgiveness is complete. There will be no possibility of sins, once forgiven, being brought against the people of God."

May this motivate us to avoid all that for which Jesus has paid the price.

Today’s reading: Hebrews 7:18-28

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” - Hebrews‬ ‭7:25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Have you ever done something halfway but knew there was enough time to go back and do it the right way? Maybe this is because of a deadline or due to your procrastination.

Some of us are perfectionists. Therefore, we won’t do anything unless it can be done to our standards. So, in this case, it is either 100% or 0%.

How does Jesus do things? In our passage today, it says that he does them “to the uttermost.” That is to say, “to the max.” This the description of the way He saves His people, you and me.

Not only that (I mean, can there be more), but Jesus also lives to pray for us; to be our Advocate.

This truth should make us feel loved today.

Have you had a bad week or a bad 2020? Jesus is for you. He proves this by the way he interacts with us.

Grace.

Mercy.

Righteousness.

Prayers.

Fighting for us every day.

Today's reading: Hebrews 7:1-17

'This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.' - Hebrews 7:15-16

You would do well to read the (short) account of Melchizedek and Abraham in Genesis 18:18-20. More is said of this guy in the New Testament than in the Old Testament. Who was he? We know little, but we do know...

- He was a priest

- He was a king

- He brought bread

- He brought wine

That list right there should be enough to make Jesus come immediately to our minds. Melchizedek was a foreshadowing of our Savior's coming.

Jesus, though, broke the rules. He didn't meet the physical requirements of being a priest, but the power of His indestructible life prevents Him from being disqualified. He does the same for us, by his powerful life, does He? We don't meet the requirement as filthy sinners, but He qualifies us by His blood.

The Greek word used for indestructible here is akatalytos. It is "pertaining to that which cannot be caused to cease." (Eugene Nida) In short, there is no outside force that will ever knock Jesus off His throne.

Aren't you glad we have such a powerful Lord and Savior?

Today's reading: Hebrews 6:1-20

'Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.' - Hebrews 6:9 ESV

This chapter in Hebrews has been the topic of many Christian theologians throughout the centuries. Some of the questions that continue to be asked upon a casual reading of it are:

"Does this mean I can lose my salvation?" or "Could we do something so vile that the Holy Spirit would leave us and not come back?" or "When do we know we've come to this point?"

We may think of Jesus mentioning an "unforgivable sin" (Mark 3:28-30) or the Apostle John speaking of a "sin that leads to death" (1 John 5:16-17).

It seems like whatever the point of no return looks like, it is a defiant and hardened stance AGAINST God and His presence in our lives. In it, we attempt to squeeze God out of every area of our lives. This will not be something that will happen accidentally. It will be intentional. Kind of like the Mark of the Beast in Revelation 13:15-18.

Yet the Hebrews seemed to have done well in this regard. The writer speaks of how they are destined for "better things." This was obvious because of how they were living their lives. Their work and love in their serving were being viewed as evidence of their endurance.

What about us? Are we recognized by others as genuine Jesus followers? More importantly, are we recognized by Jesus as those who follow Him? May we seek His face today!

Today's reading: Hebrews 5:1-14

'For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.' - Hebrews 5:12-13 ESV

Everything of great value will take time. There is no substitute for long hours that are spent in God's word, in prayer, and in making schematics for how to live for Jesus obediently. Yet if we refuse to take that time in solitude with our Creator, we will never be fit to share what we believe with others. And if we were to attempt it, we would find ourselves faking it and void of passion.

Yet it is a frightening thought to have followed Jesus for decades and never really feasted on the meatiness of God's word, remaining content with being constantly bottle-fed.

C.H. Spurgeon eloquently writes (about this passage) that, "Growth in grace does not run side by side with growth in years."

Sit down with a map of all the time you have available over the next week. What do you see? Work/school, check. Sleeping, check. Eating, check. Time with family and friends, check. Weekly worship/Bible study with Christians, check. Sharing your faith with others, check. Spending time to rest, check. Now, what time is left? What do you do with your unallotted time? If a considerable amount of time is not etched out each day for passionately seeking Jesus, you will remain unequipped for every good work.

Enjoy time in your Heavenly Father's presence today.

Today's reading: Hebrews 4:1-16

'Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.' - Hebrews 4:11-12 ESV

In this chapter, we see the writer comparing those who wandered in the wilderness for forty years and us today. For them, it was really only an 11-day journey, yet they refused to obey; thus, they forfeited their rest from God in Canaan. Their "bodies fell" in that wilderness.

Obedience to God, though, is no small thing. It is essentially the act of letting God's word do what it does best, which is cutting us to our deepest part. Until we see just how much we need Jesus, we will never seek Him.

Cutting doesn't seem pleasant, and no form of surgery is, but God longs for us to be in heaven with Him for eternity. May we, every day, allow Jesus to show us how much we need His salvation. This will not be comfortable, but we will "find grace to help us in our time of need," both now and for eternity.

Today's reading: Hebrews 3:1-19

'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.' - Hebrews 3:12-14 ESV

Any time that God speaks, we have a decision to make. Will we harden our hearts, refusing to do this His way? Or will we refuse to harden our hearts (even if we don't completely understand) and submit to his will?

The key seems to be having other Christians surround us and "exhort" us. What does this word mean? It is the word parakaleo in Greek, and it can also be translated as encourage or urge. The word is very similar to one of the descriptions that Jesus uses when talking about the Holy Spirit.

How important is your encouragement to other Christians? It is vital. Apparently our faith cannot survive without it.

Be an exhorter/encourager/urger today to someone you come across. In doing so, you can make an eternal difference.

Today's reading: Hebrews 2:1-18

'Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.' - Hebrews 2:17-18 ESV

We may believe that Jesus is our Lord (the one who calls the shots in our life) and our Savior (the one who delivered/delivers us from darkness), but do we believe that He truly understands what we are going through on a day to day basis?

In these verses, we see that Jesus was made like us in every way. He had to eat. He had to sleep. He got sick from time to time. He experienced sorrow and gladness. He enjoyed the blessings of friendship and the torture of betrayal.

The writer of Hebrews says this was essential for him to showcase his mercy (deep compassion) and faithfulness (dependability).

A great physician is not just one who has read about the sickness you're dealing with. The doctor that we want is someone who has experienced that weakness personally. This is why Jesus is the ultimate advocate for us. He actually does know what it feels like to deal with what we are all facing today.