There is a shadow of the good things to come. It is at this point that the writer to the Hebrews brings the hammer down. Everything has led to this moment. One after another, he has drawn distinctions of the limitations of the law and how it pales in comparison to Jesus. Now that all of that has been drawn, it is time to come out and and say it. The law bears no substance. The substance is Christ....

The writer to the Hebrews draws some important distinctions between what Jesus offers and what the Old Covenant offered. Spoiler alert: it is drastic. The Old Covenant, formed by the Laws given from God to His people, are related to simply being a shadow of the good things to come, and those things are found in Christ. To exemplify how drastic this comparison is, I invite you to simply consider yo...

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins eve...

Any time we are looking to do something to engage deeper with the Lord, there is no doubt that the enemy seeks to hinder our moves toward the Lord. Let us then prepare ourselves for spiritual warfare in prayer. Pray that the Lord would help you carve out time to spend with Him and that He would remind you of Him throughout the day. Take a few minutes simply to enjoy His presence today. Lastly, pra...

As I consider yesterday's lesson of waiting upon the Lord, one of the natural questions that arises is how to wait upon the Lord? If we were to compile all the texts where this theme is discussed, we will see different expressions of what it looks like. In some instances, it is simply an exercise of trust and knowing that the Lord will in fact show up. So we need not try to achieve the will of God...

28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.-Hebrews 9:28 There is an attitude throughout Scripture that emphasizes waiting upon the Lord. There are many elements that play into this attitude. Hope, trust, and patience are all themes that the original audience would have recognized. In fact, t...

To the original audience, the words that are shared by the writer of Hebrews would be reminiscent of their current times. They know sacrifice. They know the price of blood. They understand the need for the high priest and the intercession that takes place on their behalf. All of these would ring bells of familiarity that draws the reader to a different school of thought. It is not simply that all ...

As broad as the connections are, to the Hebrew reader, it would be tremendously significant, as well as specific. It is important to remember that the Bible has no filler. It requires no filler. The details can draw a lot of significance for us. The specific reference that is being made in Hebrews draws us back to Exodus 24. Let us take a look at the passage and see how the details mirror each oth...

This week's passage focuses on a particular subject. Jesus' death was necessary. By way of looking at the law, the writer to the Hebrews emphasizes an important realization - Christ had to die and His blood had to be shed. He discusses how things were purified. Water, scarlet wool, and hyssop would commonly be used for purification. More specifically, when it would come to hyssop, they would dip t...

16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with wat...

Take 10-15 minutes and write out what you have been forgiven of. Make it personal. Make it specific. It may feel very vulnerable and scary. Don't worry, you're not going to keep it around. Once you have written that out, dispose of it. Burn it. Shred it. Tear it up. Whatever you need to do, let it be done and recognize that this is the work that Jesus has accomplished for you. As you submit those ...

As I have recounted more of my testimony in these past couple of weeks, I cannot help but examine the response given in Scripture by those who have been healed, restored, or made new. I want to draw our eyes to an event that happened with Jesus and I will build my application around it. 11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as H...

Do you have a clean conscience? As much as this is an invitation to the original audience, it is also an invitation for us. The blood of Jesus is sufficient for so much more than just an idea of forgiveness. It actually washes our sin away.We tend to have a rough concept of this, mostly due to how we handle forgiveness in our culture. I remember this so much as a child. I would do something wrong,...

This may be something that has existed beneath the surface for the entire argument thus far, and it will continue to. But beneath the surface of the argumentation is an invitation for the audience to submit to this.While the original audience were likely already believers, there was the draw to run back to the new. It may have been the case, likely for many of us, that we have not really drawn the...

This passage takes some time explaining the tabernacle and how the priests would serve in those capacities. More than likely, the intended audience would have some knowledge concerning all of these elements and the priestly duties performed. Nevertheless, each of these elements are no doubt emphasized for a purpose. The purpose is to get the audience to think of each of these elements in light of ...