by Lon on August 13, 2008
This is one dense book of the Bible. I’ve been fixed on verse 14
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
The blood, the death, the very Spirit of God was not so that we could simply feel better, feel safe, or saved, but that “we may serve the living God!”
God, who needs no servants, sacrificed, so that we could have the opportunity of serving along side of Him.
How might God be longing for you to serve him this week?
Continuing along in the Scriptures through Hebrews 8
- Hebrews talks about how in the past the priest and the sanctuary were simply a shadow of what is in heaven and something far superior was coming. I wonder if some of the things we do are still simply ‘shadows’ of the real thing?
- It’s interesting how God says that his ‘new covenant’ will not be like the old, where he ‘led them by the hand’, that maybe there’s something better than direct handholding of God?
- It’s amazing how it describes God putting prints of himself directly on the hearts and minds of people. I guess to what degree we accept that is a different question, but He’s already right here, within every person in some way.
Continuing our journey through Hebrews
Hebrews 6
- Sometimes we can lay foundations in our lives that lead to death
- What doe sit mean to crucify Christ all over again by our actions? Don’t we do this all the time?
- Is there a time when we are beyond repentance?
- We show God our love by helping people in need
- It’s interesting that our hope works hand in hand with our diligence
Hebrews 7
- What does it mean for levites, priests, pastors, ministers, missionaries to offer the tenth of the people’s offering to God?
- What does it mean to be saved completely?
continuing the journey through Hebrews
- high priests have weaknesses
- those weaknesses can help them engage in the weaknesses of others
- priests need atoning for their sins as well
- what does it mean to be called by God?
- What does it mean for Jesus to have reduced himself to having to ‘learn’ certain things?
- If milk is for infants and solid food is for the mature – what do you feel you need to be feeding on these days?
“We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” (Hebrews 2:1)
This is so simple and profound. I believe the phrase I’ve heard for Chrsitians these days is that we are “educated beyond our obedience”. How might we all make a habit of actually responding to all the ways God speaks to us?
“In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.” (Hebrews 2:10)
It’s interesting how God himself found it fitting that the author of life should offer salvation through suffering. I guess I shouldn’t be shocked when we try to offer life to others, it might involve suffering as well.
It’s also bewildering how the passage describes Christ as our ‘brother’ as he shares in our humanity. Yo Bro, would be the last thing I would thinking of calling Jesus the King of Kings.
So I’ll likely post weekly on reflections as I journey through Hebrews – you’re welcome to join along and comment or post as well.
A few thoughts
- Hebrews was written towards a Jewish context, like 30 years or so after the death of Christ
- There is no official author attributed to it, though some believe that it was either Paul or Apollos
- Christ is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being (we have no parallel to this in our world)
- Re-present – the same in character and action – but not the same in person
- Christ sustains all things – he is not just some humble teacher from long ago
- Father / Son relationship – from eternity – Do they ever wonder what was before them? Probably not.
- The son is king of the kingdom
- Christ hates wickedness – sometimes we worry about if we disappointed God, or everything wasn’t quite perfect… we need to realize sometimes there are other areas of our life, that are just plain wicked
- Angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who inherit salvation – this is something given not earned – though sometimes when life gets rough and messy, you gotta wonder where those angels are…
- The same person that spoke the universe into existence, holds all things together in the fabric of his being, sustains your life
