I am not going to spend a lot of time describing an action point. I will take a lesson from this passage of Hebrews and let the word of God speak for itself. The action and application I want us to practice is simply abiding. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may b...

Unlike the original audience, I did not grow up under the Old Covenant. All I know is the New Covenant. I grew up in the church and have known about Jesus from the time I could remember. I made him my Lord at 12 years old and have been following Him faithfully. So how can this apply to me? In a similar exercise to what we did last Friday, we can look at the things I am actually believing about my ...

I find that the lesson for the original audience is a clear one. The old is passing away. If the old is passing away, and you hold fast to the old, you pass away with it. It may read a little like a "get with the times" kind of passage, but it is true that when the old becomes obsolete, the new becomes essential.Due to how quickly our world and culture moves, we have all experienced multiple times...

"They don't make them like they used too!"Here is a phrase I have heard countless times. Newer definitely does not always mean better. In fact, we live in a society that rushes out so many new products that we have a habit of letting the new sit for a while to get all the kinks worked out. It is important to understand the difference of how this culture saw something new versus that which is old. ...

There is a very bold statement being made from the writer of Hebrews. Interestingly enough, he does not spend a lot of time arguing his point, instead he points at how Scripture already makes his point for him. He calls out the old covenant and highlights how it has its faults. It is flawed. Had it not been, there would have never been a need for a new one. Consider this with anything. If you have...

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the...

Take 10-15 minutes this morning and ask the Lord to challenge your perspective on whatever He needs to. It may be a scary request, but understand that the Lord knows you better than you do. He knows what you can handle and He knows what is best for you. Lean on Him and trust Him. His way is better.......

As I meditate on the fact that Jesus offers a better covenant and better promises, I find that I want to challenge my perspective. What promises am I believing? Not just about the Lord, but about life in general? This is the point where we actually compare the things in our lives to see that Jesus is better. I have long held on to a belief that if everything is good, then I should be happy. If I a...

Has it ever amazed you how quickly you can forget about the struggles of the past and look through nostalgic goggles? It seems that as I get further away from some of life's most difficult events, I tend toward the thought that everything was not that bad. In fact, I end up missing some of what was there. We miss what is in the past. Many of us tend to think of them as betters days than today.I re...

As I read through this passage, I am left considering the audience and their perception of what is being said. Remember, no one at this point grew up Christian. You may have had a few in the audience who had heard of Jesus at an early age, but most of them were converts from a belief system that was known to them as truth. For many of them, most of their lives they spent obeying the law and honori...

After a rather long form argument, we make our way to where we are at in Hebrews 8. The lesson thus far has continued to be that Jesus is better. He is supreme. For anything that the law could have offered, Jesus offers it in better form. The Hebrews may have had a tabernacle, but the Jesus ministers in the true tabernacle, the true dwelling of the Lord.This passage both acts as a summary of the p...

The writer to the Hebrews finally sums up what the point of what he is saying is. In the same vein, he also prepares the next section. The short of it is that we have a heavenly minister ministering in heaven to the Lord on High. He is a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle. Addressing some of the priestly roles, it was necessary for priests to offer gifts and sacrifices. Jesus, in...

Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. 4 F...

Take some time today to pray that the Lord would reveal these deep realities to your heart. Romans 5 says that hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Some of these realities may be understood, but the depth of it does not come across until it is spiritually revealed. Knowledge does not equate to holiness. Pray that these realities would...

7Wisdom is the principal thing;Therefore get wisdom.And in all your getting, get understanding.-Proverbs 4:7 As I continue to reflect upon how we are saved to the uttermost by the work of Jesus, I consider the context that this deep truth is brought up in. It is brought up in the context of deep biblical understanding. The deeper we go into the text, the more we can confirm these realities and gro...