Hebrews 13:7-24 provides final guidance and encouragement to early Christians, urging them to remember and imitate their leaders' faith while emphasizing the unchanging nature of Jesus. The passage warns against strange teachings and highlights that spiritual strength comes from grace, not dietary laws. It contrasts Jesus' sacrifice with that of Jewish high priests, encouraging believers to embrace the challenges of following Him. The author calls for continual praise, good deeds, and sharing as acts pleasing to God, while also emphasizing the importance of respecting and obeying their leaders. The section concludes with a request for prayers, a blessing for peace from God, and a final exhortation for grace.
Hebrews 13:1-6 highlights important values such as love, kindness, loyalty, being satisfied with what you have, and having faith in God. It offers advice on how to live a life that is pleasing to God and confident in His support. Essentially, it encourages people to treat others well and to trust that God will take care of their needs.
Hebrews 12:14-17 urges believers to pursue peace and holiness, as these are essential for seeing the Lord. It warns against allowing bitterness to take root, which can cause trouble and defile many. The passage also references the story of Esau, who traded his birthright for a single meal, illustrating the danger of making impulsive, short-sighted decisions. Esau later regretted his choice but found no opportunity to reverse it, highlighting the seriousness of spiritual neglect and the consequences of missing out on God's grace.
Hebrews 12:4-13 focuses on the theme of discipline and endurance in the Christian life. The passage encourages believers to persevere through struggles and hardships, reminding them that these difficulties are a form of God's loving discipline, meant to shape and strengthen their faith. It calls for endurance and trust in God’s purpose, as His discipline leads to growth in righteousness.
Hebrews 12:1-3 encourages Christians to stay faithful and persevere in their spiritual journey by shedding distractions and sin. The passage likens the Christian life to a race that requires endurance, urging believers to fix their eyes on Jesus, who endured the cross for the joy set before Him. Reflecting on His perseverance helps Christians avoid discouragement and fatigue in their own walk of faith.
Hebrews 11:23-40 is part of the famous "Faith Chapter" in the New Testament, where the author of Hebrews highlights various examples of faith from the Old Testament. These verses specifically recount the faith of key biblical figures and emphasize the endurance and sacrifice they demonstrated despite not receiving the full promise of God's plan in their lifetime. The passage calls Christians to persevere in faith, following the example of those who came before, trusting that God’s promises will be fulfilled, even if not fully seen in this life.
Hebrews 11:1-3 focuses on the nature of faith and its foundational role in the Christian life:
Verse 1 defines faith as the "assurance of things hoped for" and the "conviction of things not seen." Faith involves trusting in God's promises and unseen realities.
Verse 2 explains that through faith, the elders (or people of old) were commended by God for their trust and obedience.
Verse emphasizes that by faith, believers understand that the universe was created by God's Word, and that what is seen was made from what is not visible.
These verses highlight faith as confidence in God's promises and as the lens through which believers understand the world.
In Hebrews 10:26-39, the passage warns against deliberately continuing to sin after receiving knowledge of the truth, emphasizing that there will be no more sacrifice for sins.
The passage also encourages believers to persevere in faith and righteousness, reminding them of the reward that awaits those who endure trials and remain faithful.
It emphasizes the importance of faith and patience, urging readers not to shrink back but to live by faith in order to receive what has been promised.
In Hebrews 10:19-25 the author encourages believers to have confidence and boldness in approaching God through Jesus Christ.
The passage emphasizes the sacrifice of Jesus as providing access to God and forgiveness of sins.
Believers are urged to hold fast to their faith and continue encouraging one another, especially as they see the day of Christ's return approaching.
The author also urges believers not to forsake gathering together for worship, but rather, to encourage and support one another in love and good deeds.
In Hebrews 10:1-4 the author discusses the limitations of the Old Testament sacrificial system. The passage explains that the repetitive nature of these sacrifices could not ultimately take away sins, but rather served as a reminder of sin. It emphasizes that the blood of animals could not effectively atone for human transgressions, and concludes that it is impossible for such sacrifices to make people perfect before God.
In Hebrews 9:11-28, the author of the Book discusses Christ's role as a High Priest who offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
This passage emphasizes that Christ's sacrifice is superior to the old rituals and is able to cleanse our consciences and provide eternal redemption.
It also explains that Christ entered the Heavenly sanctuary once for all, securing eternal redemption and putting an end to sin through His sacrificial death.
The text highlights the significance of Christ's atoning work in fulfilling God's plan for salvation.
Hebrews 9:1-10 describes the earthly tabernacle and its components as a comparison to the heavenly sanctuary. The author emphasizes that the tabernacle was a physical representation of spiritual realities.
The tabernacle was divided into two sections: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The Holy Place contained items like the lampstand, altar of incense, and table of showbread, symbolizing various aspects of worship. The Most Holy Place, where the Ark of the Covenant resided, was even more sacred and represented the direct presence of God.
However, the author highlights that these earthly elements were merely copies of heavenly realities. They served as temporary arrangements and could not truly cleanse the conscience or remove sin. This sets the stage for the introduction of Jesus Christ as the ultimate High Priest and the true sanctuary in the next verses.
Essentially, this passage reveals the insufficiency of the Old Covenant and its rituals, pointing towards the superior and eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
In Hebrews 8:7-13, the author discusses the establishment of a new covenant by God and contrasts it with the old one. The passage emphasizes that the new covenant will be different in that God's laws will be written on people's hearts, their sins will be forgiven, and there will no longer be a need for sacrifices or offerings. It also highlights that with the establishment of this new covenant, the old one becomes obsolete.
In Hebrews 8:1-6, the author describes Jesus as the High Priest who is seated at the right hand of God in Heaven. The passage explains that Jesus serves in the true tabernacle, and not on Earth like other priests. This is because He has obtained a more excellent ministry as He is also the mediator of a better covenant which is established on better promises. The passage contrasts this with earthly priests who serve in a copy and shadow of heavenly things.
Hebrews 7:20-28 explains the superiority and permanence of Jesus Christ's priesthood compared to the Levitical priesthood. Unlike the Levitical priests, Jesus' appointment as a priest was not based on lineage but on a divine oath from God, signifying an unchangeable and eternal priesthood for Jesus (verse 20). This sets him apart as the guarantee of a better covenant between humanity and God (verse 22), unlike earthly priests who were subject to death. Additionally, while human high priests had to make daily sacrifices for their own sins before offering for others, Jesus did not need to make such offerings because He was sinless. Instead, He offered Himself once-for-all (verses 26-27).
Furthermore, this passage emphasizes that Christ's priesthood is characterized by perfection – holy, innocent, unblemished by sin – qualities which contrast sharply with those attributed to ordinary high priests under Mosaic law. Due to His sinlessness and sacrifice, Jesus is able to save those who draw near unto God through Him forever since He always lives making intercession for them (verse 25). The passage concludes by highlighting Christ’s ultimate qualification—His exaltation beyond all heavens where He now ever lives after being perfected fully.
In essence:
This passage underscores several key themes related to Christ's superior priesthood:
1) Its establishment through divine decree rather than legal requirement;
2) Its immutable nature as secured by divine oaths;
3) Its role in establishing an everlasting covenant,
4). It’s ultimately superior quality due mainly its completeness evidenced particularly through its absolute efficacy especially seen through his death burial resurrection ascension glorification
The message encourages stronger faithfulness among believers and leads them into living out life victoriously until they meet Him face-to-face.
Hebrews 7:1-19 speaks about the greatness of the priest Melchizedek and how Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek. The passage explains that Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, and he blessed Abraham, who then gave him a tenth of everything he had. The author of Hebrews points out that this demonstrates Melchizedek's superiority over Abraham.
The passage goes on to explain that Jesus is also a high priest in the order of Melchizedek, and his priesthood is greater than the Levitical priesthood because it is eternal. It further discusses how Jesus' priesthood has replaced the old system because it brings perfection and allows people to come to God through him.
Overall, Hebrews 7:1-19 emphasizes the superiority of Jesus as a high priest in comparison to other priests, particularly highlighting his connection to Melchizedek and his eternal priesthood.
As we continue our teachings from the Book of Hebrews we find the author now shifting his methods of motivating his audience by employing the 'stick and carrot' method. So he’s now shifting from the stick and he's now beginning to show them some of the benefits of their salvation.
Initially he expressed his concern regarding the spiritual immaturity of a people with whom he was well acquainted. They were in real danger of falling into apostacy and now he expresses great confidence about their ultimate salvation by expounding on the basics for spiritual security
Following on from the previous teaching, this session reveals a third warning in the Book of Hebrews addressed to Jews who had converted from Judaism to Christianity and who were being persecuted for deserting their faith. They were now considering reverting to the Jewish faith for safety reasons.
The passage warns that this action would result in persecution by the world shifting to discipline and correction by the Lord—a 'problem' far greater than what they were currently experiencing.
Presenter: Elder William Olivier
In this episode we review the six foundational aspects of Christ that we've learnt in the preceding teachings on the Book of Hebrews as we press on beyond the doctrine of the first principles of Christ unto maturity in our journey of faith, viz.
What is a kingdom man?
A kingdom man places himself under God's rulership and submits his life to the lordship of Jesus Christ. He also understands the important role his wife plays in his success.
God told the Israelites, that three times a year all of their males were to appear together before Him to receive instructions from Him.
Yet when God told them to appear, He specifically called them out before the “Lord God, the God of Israel.”
He called them to submit themselves to His complete authority.
If the men submitted, they were told that they, and those connected to them, would receive God’s covering, protection and provision. But they would receive this only if they positioned themselves under His absolute rule. So essential was this element of rulership that God used three of His names as a reminder.
The Israelites were told to appear before: In using three different names for himself, God emphasized His supreme authority over the men of the nation and their accountability to Him.
The same principle of God’s rulership that applied to the Israelites is no different from God’s rulership today.
He is God — Lord God, God of Israel, master, supreme God, ruler and judge.
A kingdom man, therefore, is one who places himself under God’s rulership and submits his life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
A kingdom man is a man who rules according to God’s rule.
Keep in mind, that to rule something does not refer to domination or illegitimate control.
Mankind’s misuse of the term rule through dictatorships and abusive relationships has distorted the legitimate call on man to rule under God’s sovereign rule and according to His principles.
