Today’s reading: Hebrews 13:1-25

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” - Hebrews‬ ‭13:15-16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ sacrifice was a setup for our salvation, and all that flows out of this regeneration is to be beautiful. We are now freed to offer sacrifices as an overflow, a response to the sweet saving.

SACRIFICE OF PRAISE // This is the only time this word appears in this way throughout the New Testament. Nida and Louw define it this way: “to speak of the excellence.” Regular praising should come naturally from our mouths! Sunday mornings, at work, when we are driving, working out, walking to class—it is appropriate at all times.

SACRIFICE OF GENEROSITY // Jesus met our greatest need. He saved our souls, gave us a new heart. Meeting the needs of others is an obvious response. What do you have in place to ensure you never forget to share?

Jesus has done the heavy lifting, and now we get to respond to his great work on the cross!

Today’s reading: Hebrews 12:14-29

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,” - Hebrews‬ ‭12:22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I think we’ve all heard our phones declare, “You have reached your destination!” It is a relief to listen to these words, especially if we were wandering aimlessly for a while. Verses 22-25 is God reassuring these Hebrew Christians that all of their sufferings are a reminder of what they are now approaching. The detail provided is also helpful for us today.

Now approaching...

- Heavenly City (an illusion to Revelation 21)

- Thousands of angels, singing (they’ve been doing this since the beginning, Job 38:7)

- All of our Christian family (not yet fitted with resurrection bodies—to come later)

- God Himself (the Judge)

- Jesus and His blood (allowing us to approach God the Judge)

Our future is literally bright and will not lack for joy. The singing, the unity, the majestic presence of God—all will be made right.

“You will one day arrive at your destination.”

Today’s reading: Hebrews 11:32-40, 12:1-13

'Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.' - Hebrews 12:3 ESV

Reading our passage today, being from the United States, may cause us to feel disconnected from what has been the norm throughout the church's history. Our country provides the freedom to worship, for the most part, without fear of harm.

Yet we are the living legacy of Christians (and Jews) who suffered unthinkably at the hands of their oppressors. Even today, we know that millions of Christians worldwide live with the reality of putting their lives at risk to follow Jesus. All we have to do is spend five minutes on the Open Doors website to get a glimpse of what is still happening.

The writer of Hebrews flows from backs being ripped open, to the grandstands of heaven cheering us on, to the example of Jesus, and then considering it all as a helpful discipline. This may seem inconsiderate to us, but again, we don't really know what it's like to experience this kind of physical suffering.

We do know that God is moving us ALL forward, encouraging us to take "a new grip" and to "stand firm."

The Christian life is historically hard. Yet, at the same time, it is the best life, not only for now but also for all of eternity.

Today's reading: Hebrews 11:17-31

'By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.' - Hebrews 11:29 ESV

Death by drowning has to be one of the most fearful things to think about. Would we be willing to risk this fate by stepping out in faith if God commanded us to do so? The Israelites walked across on the dry land, through the Red Sea, with water walls on either side. Surely they had to wonder if the barricade would hold for all 1.5 million-ish of them to cross. God kept the waters at bay and allowed them to cross. Their faith had not been misplaced.

As we meander through Hebrews 11, we see people who did things by faith, causing them to take risks. Faith will always call us to take uncomfortable action. The Greek word used for faith throughout the New Testament is pistis, and it can also be translated as trust.

If we trust God enough to see us through, we need to believe he'll support as we step into an unknown/exciting space.

In these moments, if God doesn't come through, we will utterly fail.

Today’s reading: Hebrews 11:1-16

'But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.' - Hebrews 11:16 ESV

The word used for "ashamed" here is epaischynomai. Jesus used the same word in Mark 8:38 when he said, "Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

We know what it is like to be ashamed of association with someone else. Maybe we don't want some of our friends to know about another group with which we are close. Possibly you dated someone, and it went wrong, and it continues to be awkward when you run into them. Shame floods in with a simple glance.

When it comes to His children, His faithful ones, God doesn't shrink back when He thinks of us. He isn't worried about his reputation being weakened. If this is how you feel about Jesus, the feeling is promised to be reciprocated.

God is getting ready for us. Are we getting ready for Him?

Today’s reading: Hebrews 10:18-39

“let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” - Hebrews‬ ‭10:22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse may not hold that much significance to us until we consider the reaction of those in the Bible that came into contact with God’s presence (or even an angel). Abram was overcome (Genesis 17:3). Samson’s parents fell face down (Judges 13:20). Ezekiel also fell on his face (Ezekiel 1:28). Daniel did the same (Daniel 8:17). A leper fell before Jesus as well (Luke 5:12). John fell as if dead (Revelation 1:17).

So, are you ready to stroll right into God’s presence with your sincere heart? Yeah, it makes me a little nervous as well to think about it.

Yet we have no reason to fear God’s presence. This isn’t because we’ve finally started to sin less often. It is all because of Jesus granting us access through his blood and resurrection!

Today’s reading: Hebrews 10:1-17

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’” - ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:5-7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We actually have no record of Jesus saying these words, but we do have evidence of him living them. They are a quotation from Psalm 40:6-8, which is clearly about the Messiah.

The Father provided His Son with a body. That body would be nurtured as a baby and would offer healings to many. Ultimately, though, the will of God was not focusing on a temporary fix. The end-game was to see us receive (by faith) an eternal healing by the blood of that body.

Jesus also lived Psalm 40 as He submissively prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew what His body wanted to do, but His desire to do God’s will triumphed over the pull of His flesh.

May we take the example of our Savior to heart. May we be about our Father’s will over everything else.

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.