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...

25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.-Hebrews 7:25 It becomes an easy habit for me to place restriction upon the Lord. I find I can treat Him as though I have been the one to finally reach the limits of the salvation He has given me. Whether it be by sin, shortcoming, or my own limitations, I wo...

The big lesson that stands out comes as a recognition of who Jesus is. While the original reader may or may not have known the significance of Melchizedek, the point in bringing him into the narrative at all is for the sake of exemplifying an important reality concerning Jesus. Jesus is the better priest. He is the new Melchizedek and a priest forever. This is yet another example of what it means ...

The reference that is being made to Melchizedek is found in the Old Testament. More specifically, it is found in Genesis. The placement of it almost feels random. There was a large battle with many kings involved. Lot, Abraham's brother, was captured. Abraham, then known as Abram, sends out his own servants to save Lot. He ends up gaining back all that was lost in Sodom as well as Lot. The king of...

The book of Hebrews identifies a very interesting character from Scripture. This character had a specific interaction with Abraham, the father of faith, that caught the eye of the Jewish audience. A Scripture that we may gloss over in our reading through Genesis ends up being a core text that Hebrew apologists run to that highlights a different priestly order. Through the depth of what Scripture g...

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” 3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but m...

In an effort on reflecting on the promises of God, take that same note that you worked on yesterday concerning His promises. Turn those into praise today. Give thanks to the Lord for His promises and be specific about them. Let His Spirit fill you with joy in that, and may the joy of the Lord be your strength.......

Recently, my wife needed to go in to the hospital due to some complications after giving birth to my son. She and I had to visit the conversation of how to approach getting her the help she needs when we live on such a tight budget. It is an unfortunate reality but one we have had to face. Still, we had to wait to find out what the doctors would recommend. Of course, they recommended staying multi...