Rededicating Lives - Nehemiah 8 to 11

Is there a particular place and time in your life when you were born again? Did you complete all the steps that are spelled out in the different books of the New Testament that everyone must take in order to be born into the new spiritual life of a Christian? In a recent lesson, I gave you a list of essential things you must believe and do in order to be saved. If you know that you are a born again Christian, you have completed the beginning point of a new life in Christ—but you have not completed the race. Your life is still ahead; God now expects you to love, worship and live for him daily. God knows all about our sinful nature and he understands that there will be times when Christians fail in some way—and he established a plan that we can use to regain our sin-free position in his sight—it is simply a sincere prayer of repentance and rededication.

A sinner, lost and undone, can not rededicate their life. The [RE] in front of dedicate means that you are dedicating your life again; you are REdoing something that has already been done at least one time. Accepting Christ is the beginning point and that is our first dedication of our life to Christ. When we sin—and not if we sin—Jesus expects a repentant heart to seek forgiveness and he expects us to rededicate our life to him. I can not give you a perfect plan; a step by step way to rededicate your life. I do know that it is somewhat like being saved in that it is a personal relationship between you and the Lord, and the Holy Spirit will counsel you and help you do what the Lord would have you do.

In every church that I have been a member of there have been a few of the members that heed the alter call during revivals and other spirit filled messages. They rededicate their lives to Jesus either by their actions, by speaking to the pastor, or sometimes by addressing the congregation. Their reasons will vary but it is not my place or your place to condemn their actins in any way…Only God knows the sincerity of their heart. Others may choose to go in private to the pastor or some respected friend and seek guidance in how they can live in a right relationship with Christ. Still others may prefer to go into their secret place, close the door, and talk directly to our Lord and Savior, asking the Holy Spirit to guide them to higher heights and lower depths in their life in Christ. Finally, there are some that seldom pray a prayer, either privately or in public that they don’t ask for forgiveness for their sin or sins of both omission and commission. If this person is sincere in the request they are making for forgiveness then it automatically carries with it the intent to rededicate their life to Christ and do better next time. Jesus Christ is the Lord of ‘second chance’ nothing in a Christian’s life pleases him more than for us to tell him that we will try hard to love him more and not sin against him.

Now we will go to the book of Nehemiah and study the plan for rededication in his day. The one thing you must realize is that these people were still under the Old Covenant and they requested Ezra to bring God’s law to a special assembly and read it to them. They would in turn measure their past actions against the law. It was their rule. They could hear the law explained and it told them where they had committed sin...and they always were guilty because it was impossible for any man to keep the law in a perfect way.

The second thing you must realize is that we are under the New Covenant which has been revealed and explained in the New Testament. It is equally important for us to read, study, or have the New Covenant explained to us. God’s people are no longer saved by the law and making blood sacrifices that only pointed to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Now we are saved by God’s grace through our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Christ did not do away with the law, but he did fulfill the law. This means that the Ten Commandments are still as valid today as they ever were…we are to keep the commandments, not to be saved, but because we are saved; and we are expected to be obedient to his teachings.

Ezra comes on the scene again in the year 444 BC. The last time he was mentioned was in the year 456, and I have not been able to find where he has been for the last twelve years. This is the first time he is mentioned in the book of Nehemiah. More than likely, Ezra made a trip back to his place in Babylon…he may have still owned property back there. In the beginning of the eighth chapter he is called on to bring the Law of Moses into the new city. Ezra and Nehemiah were contemporaries, working together at this time. Ezra was the priest and scribe and the religious leader, while Nehemiah was governor, the political and administrative leader. In those days the scribe was not only the religious leader but he acted as a lawyer settling disputes—he was a consultant to both the governor and the people. Scribes were the highest educated of all the people so they were called on to teach the law.

You will remember that the people had intermarried and broken the law and were involved in sinful worship when Nehemiah arrived. Now the huge task of Ezra was to bring back to the people the teachings of the Law of Moses and establish it as the law of the land. He probably used the Pentateuch, the first five books of the bible. These were God’s people who had drifted away into sin. They now realize they have made this mistake and they asked Ezra to bring forth the book of the Law and read it to them. [Most of the people were uneducated and could not read…and copies of the Law were limited so that only the scribes had copies.]

This occasion turned out to be an open space revival much like an old time brush-arbor revival in America. Israelites were accustomed to worshipping in connection with their temple, but in this case they built a high platform for Ezra to stand on so he could be seen and heard by the crowd. It took place outside of the temple and this was because Ezra wanted both men and women and children to hear and learn the Law. As you know—if they were inside the temple—there were separate areas for men and women.

Ezra expected both men and women to REDEDICATE THEIR LIVES [which made this an example for us to study today]. The Jewish people had known God every since their ancestors left Egypt. Many times they had drifted back into sin only to be punished. Now this generation that is present are ready to repent of their sins and rededicate their lives to God.

This revival meeting started at daybreak and lasted until noon. There were no pews, and the Bible says they stood up and listened to Ezra and the priest. Do you think that First Baptist members would be willing to stand for six or seven hours to hear the pastor explain the new covenant and what it means to be save by grace through faith? When they heard Ezra read and the priest explain the meanings—they began to weep. He may have been reading from Deuteronomy where the many curses were placed on the people who had violated the Law. At least some of them had committed the same sins and realized that the same kind of punishment could come their way if they did not repent and rededicate their lives to God.

Then Ezra pleaded with them not to weep; instead they should rejoice in the fact that they were given this chance to rededicate to God. He told them that this was a holy day unto the Lord and they should rejoice and not weep...that they should find a new joy in their fellowship with the God of their strength.

The last part of chapter eight explains how they built booths and kept the feast…this was according to the Law. They lived in these booths seven days while they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. This was seven more days of preaching and teaching of the Word. And then on the eighth day Ezra called them back to the open revival grounds. This was some revival! It started on the second day of the month, and on the twenty-forth day of the same month they had the final alter call.

The beginning of the 9th chapter explains how the people gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting ashes or dust on their heads. True repentance and rededication is actually a picture of the acts in redemption. There are three scenes in every act and they are: a] God’s goodness and his love for people, b] people sinning and turning away from God, and c] God’s forgiveness and offer of restoration. The redemption story has three acts also and they are: a] John 3: 16, b] we are all sinners by nature—all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and c] God’s forgiveness and gift of salvation. It appears to me that redemption and rededication are first cousins…and they may be twins.

The people made a covenant and put it in writing and the priest and others placed the seal on it. The first twenty-seven verses of chapter ten is a list of those that sealed the covenant. Was there a difference in the people? Did they change? The rest of chapter ten tells us that they started paying their tithe, observing the Sabbath, and keeping their covenant made with God.

Did they continue to keep the covenant they had made? No. The book says that Nehemiah completed his work there and returned to his home where he stayed for about a year and then he returned and found some things in Jerusalem in bad condition.

If any of us have drifted away from God to the extent that we feel that we should rededicate our life to God now or next Sunday at church…should we do it? Yes. If we do it—does that mean that we will never drift away again? No. The blood of Christ forgives us of our sin, but it does not remove our sin nature. He that says he has no sin is a liar and has no truth in him.

Devising Strategies - Nehemiah 4:1 to 7:73

Any time a person, whether he is president, governor, legislator, or a superintendent, principal, teacher, or pastor, deacon, teacher or just a lay person in the church…any time any of these come up with a new idea to get something good done for the good of society—there will be opposition. Some one will either think that it is the wrong thing to do, or if it is right, he will say that there is a better way to get it done. Very few ever offer a better solution, but they have no trouble condemning the one that has been offered. This is especially true in government and church.

Therefore, if you are ever in the position of leadership that requires your recommendations as a point of beginning, you should be prepared for opposition. If you think your cause is right and believe that it is worth fighting for, then the first thing you must do is DEVISE SOME STRATEGIES that you will use to overcome your opposition. There are two overall strategies…one is positive and one is negative—and to our sorrow most political politicians are far too negative in their campaigns. They would much rather tell us about their opponent’s weaknesses than try to explain their own strengths. Their strategy is so devastating that by the time Election Day approaches, it is sometimes doubtful that either man is worthy of election. Sometimes it is so bad that a better choice than election would be to put them in prison.

When Babylon captured the southern kingdom they took the wealthy, skilled and intelligent as captives with them back to Babylon. They left the unskilled, weak and poor people in Judah. The Egyptians from the south and the Samaritans and Amorites from the north and west moved in and became wealthy and prosperous as they inherited the spoils from the exile. These three nations especially, did not want to see the Jewish nation regain a place of power and strength in that part of the world. They opposed the first two groups that returned to Jerusalem…they tried in many ways to prevent Ezra from rebuilding the temple, and now they are the opposition against Nehemiah and his plans to rebuild the wall of protections around the city.

It appears that Nehemiah tried to keep his journey home and his intentions a secret as long as he could to prevent his opposition from getting an early start in their plans against him. The best evidence that this is true is that after he arrived in Jerusalem he waited until it was dark at night to do the survey of the wall. This required three or four nights because as he surveyed, he was keeping record of the materials that would be needed and estimating the number of workers he would need in each area of the reconstruction. He had this all completed and recorded before he called the people together and apprised them of his plans.

As the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall began, Sanballat [san BAL uht], the governor of Samaria, ridiculed the Jews’ efforts. Tobiah [toh BIGH uh], the governor of Ammon, joined Sanballat in discouraging the rebuilding. Oh, how I wish I could encourage the readers of these lessons to pray more as their very first strategy against any problem that enters your life. That is what Nehemiah did! He saw their objections and obstructive moves as a work against God and he prayed to God and asks him to judge them for their sins. So, in the planning of any strategy, the first step must be taken on your knees—in prayer.

The second step in Nehemiah’s strategy was to let all workers bring weapons to work. One half would stand guard while the other half worked, and then they would switch…which proved to work well allowing rest one half of the time. Even though this strategy worked well to protect the workers, it still caused the work on the wall to slow, and delayed the completion. He developed a warning system that would warn everyone around the city wall if there was an attack in one place—then everyone could rush to the threatened area and protect the building project.

There was one more problem that arose that is so obvious that it could be overlooked. The people that were working full time on this wall were not rich people, they had just made the long trip home which was costly, and their families had to be cared for while there was no income to pay for their needs. Workers that had to borrow money for their families to live had to pay interest. Nehemiah influenced the bankers to lend their money without interest, so the workers could continue their work on the wall. It becomes very obvious that Nehemiah was very clever and successful in his DEVISING OF STRATEGIES.

This last problem came to light just as the wall was being completed and was much more severe than Nehemiah had deemed it to be. The workers reported that they were in deep poverty and some even reported that they had been forced to sell their children into bondage in order to get the money to pay the king’s tribute. Nehemiah not only was distraught, but he became very angry with the way things wee going. Many of the farmers reported that their lenders had fore-closed on their fields and vineyards and those being robbed no longer had a way to make their living.

You should be aware that this temple and the new wall were completely destroyed by the Roman Government in about AD 70. This is the same city and temple that was present in the days of Christ. It is now impossible to trace the exact parameters of the city, however archaeologist have found some of the remaining ruins—quiet enough to prove that it did exist as stated here in Nehemiah.

The sad and horrible conditions of the builders are recorded in the 5th chapter of our study. Some may wonder who was included in this project that was now suffering from the pressures of the surrounding kings. The majority of these people fit into two categories. One, some were wealthy Jews that had gained their wealth while they were in exile and brought it with them back to Jerusalem. A second group was the decedents of the Jews that had returned in the first two waves of returning exiles about 100 years before under the leadership of Zerubbabel and a little later under Ezra. Many of the poor of this day are suffering at the hands of their own countrymen who had become rich. Times haven’t changed much, has it?

This is just one more case where the Jews have rebelled against God. God’s concern for the poor is revealed in about every [maybe every] book in the bible. In Exodus 22:25 Jews were warned not to charge excessive usury [interest]. The books of Moses clearly spelled out the responsibility of the Israelites to take care of the poor. This should stand as a warning to those today that take advantage of the poor—charge high rates—and fore-close on those who can’t pay. The bible is clear. We should treat the poor and needy in a way that it would mirror the love and concern that Jesus has for people.

When his three worst outside enemies, Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem the Arab learned that the wall was a success they decided to get rid of Nehemiah. He had the city protected and they could not get in so they sent him word to come to one of their cities in Ono so they could talk to him…they wanted to negotiate…and even more likely wanted to kill him. He did not fall for their invitation. They sent him this same message four times…and when he did not go…the fifth time Sanballat sent his aid with the same message. In this message they accused him of establishing himself as the new king of Judah. Remember that this is the same accusation made against Jesus in order to get King Herod to order him to be killed.
Ono was about twenty miles from Jerusalem. And if they could get him to come down to their meeting…they would have ambushed him on the way…he would have never lived to get to Ono.

This all took place during the time when prophets like Malachi were declaring that the Messiah was coming soon [Malachi 3: 1-3]. His aim was to cause all of the kings of the surrounding area to turn on Nehemiah. Verse 8 says, “I sent him this reply: Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.” Verse 9 says: “But I prayed now strengthen my hands.” Most of us would have been ready to give up, but not Nehemiah. He simply prayed that God would strengthen his hands to do the work.

Even the old gal, Delilah, got involved in this matter. One day Nehemiah went to see Delilah's son, Shemaiah, who was in his own home. Shemaiah told Nehemiah that they should go hide in the temple while they talked because he was probably followed and was not safe in his home. Nehemiah somehow knew that this was a trick to get him in the temple…a forbidden place for him, so they could charge him and discredit his loyalty to God.

The completion of the wall was nothing less than another miracle of God. It was completed in fifty-two days—that is less than two months. I am not sure of the exact dimensions of this wall, but one source thinks that it might have taken a modern day contractor at least two years to build it.

The remainder of chapter seven is a genealogy of all that were involved with this work. It is very similar to the one found in Ezra. We should not despair or lose faith because of very minor differences. No two people would make a genealogy of anyone that would be exactly alike, and too, there was nearly 100 years that elapsed between the writing of these two genealogies.

GIVE GOD ALL THE PRAISE AND HAVE A

HAPPY NEW YEAR

DEVISING GOOD STRATEGIES

PS: I am looking forward to August, 2007.

Working Cooperatively - Nehemiah 1:1 to 3:32

Can you believe that we will have completed the sixth year of the twenty-first century at the toll of midnight, tonight? Did you receive a very special gift during the Christmas Holidays? Juanita and I DID. Our only grandson, Dr. Lance Weathers and his wife Natalie announced that the birth of our first and only GREAT grandchild will occur early in August of 2007. This special announcement works in accord with the title of our lesson for this Sunday. By working cooperatively together they will bring a ray of sunshine and happiness into our family about seven months from now. Thank the Lord, for his goodness never ceases.

We completed the study of the book of Ezra two weeks ago with an optimistic attitude because of his great leadership exhibited in the rebuilding of the temple. He encountered great opposition and was delayed. The old devil always finds a way to interrupt anything that God’s people try to do. The temple was completed but the work of building the wall of protection around the city was opposed by some and again Satan was on the scene working against all that the people were trying to do. At this point in history Nehemiah led the third group of exiles to return to Jerusalem with the intent of building the wall of protection around the city including the new temple.

Nehemiah is the last of the historical books recorded in the Old Testament. This book records the history of the third group that returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. It records the struggles incurred as they rebuilt the walls to protect their city and the new temple. There is nothing that can renew the Christian’s faith like the success of work dedicated to honor God. The book attests to their renewed faith in God.

Nehemiah wrote most of the book in first person and is considered to be its author; however some think that Ezra was by his side and may have acted as editor of the book. It was written during the period of 445 to 432 BC. The first group that returned to Jerusalem from Babylon was led by Zerubbabel in 538 BC; in 458 Ezra led the second group that returned; and the group we will study now is the third one and it was led by Nehemiah who was determined to see that the city was protected by the new walls. In the lesson prepared for Christmas which was last Sunday I made reference to people who are always finding fault, complaining, and even writing letters to the editor. As we begin this study on Nehemiah, the first thing we find is that he is not one of those who complains and does nothing. He was a man with great faith with a life completely dedicated to God’s work.

If you are one that goes to the barber shop or beauty parlor, or meets the gang at the Smoke House to drink coffee each morning—here are some of the things you will hear. “I can’t believe what is happening in our government in DC.” “If I was up there I would…” “What that church needs is…” “Well, what our church needs is…” “Our schools are failing. Someone ought to do something.” “He was honest and dependable before he was elected—but just watch, he will change when the wealthy lobbyist get to him.” “Why doesn’t he let the QB throw the ball—there is always a tight-end open.”

“Armchair quarterbacks” gripers, complainers, and those who think they are prophets all abound. Why? Because it easy to analyze, scrutinize and simply talk about the everyday problems that exist in our world and then there is no pressure for the griper to produce better results. “What we really need is a person who will not just discuss problems—but will DO something about them.” Nehemiah was a man that did just that.

GO NOW TO NEHEMIAH 1, AND READ THE FIRST 11 VERSES.

Nehemiah heard about the problem existing in Jerusalem. He was not happy with the people and their response to Ezra’s leadership. He could have chosen to complain—“If I were there I would…” “If Ezra had done…this or that…he would not have failed.” But Nehemiah chose the high road. He determined that ‘with God’s approval and help’ he would go home and furnish the materials and organize the labor force needed to rebuild the wall. Do not miss this important point. Nehemiah was at that time ‘cupbearer’ to the King of Persia, Artaxerxes and surely must have been secure, well paid, settled at home and had no great desire to give up his luxuries. His choice was to sacrifice and follow God’s calling and it was not for personal gain…in fact just the opposite occurred.

Nehemiah is a perfect example of a man with leadership and organizational abilities. He prayed and sought God’s will, asking God to use him to rebuild these walls. He could have chosen to drink coffee with the boys and criticize others for not doing the job. He left everything he owned behind, giving up a comfortable and wealthy position in the King’s household in Persia. He returned to his distraught people in Jerusalem, and a weakened government—only to find that they were not protected from outside enemies. One of his main challenges was to organize a defense around the workers who were rebuilding.

Whether it be in the national or state government, in the schools or the church—criticizing others and complaining about the process will not solve the problem. The responsible person will recognize the problem and start making the plans necessary to carry out the task. READ 2: 1-10.

How often have you as a parent observed that one of your children or your spouse was deeply concerned or even upset about something. They have not told you…and they didn’t have to tell you that something was wrong. There is picture of a problem in their eyes, on their face, or in their mannerism. It is obvious to you and they can not hide the picture from you even though they try. You say, “Something is bothering you.” or “I sense that you are upset or distraught about something…what is it?”

This is a picture of the incident between King Artaxerxes and Nehemiah the king’s cupbearer. He must have been a happy and interesting cupbearer because the king saw immediately that he was sad about something and he wasn’t ill. Nehemiah was frightened because there was a rule in this kingdom that one could not exhibit a mournful attitude in the presence of the king. In Ester 4:2 you can read that anyone in sackcloth could not even enter the gate into the temple. He had to overcome his fear and boldly approach the King telling him about God’s call on his life, and he then made his request for the King to approve of his plan and help him to acquire the needed supplies…he even requested protection as he traveled. I am afraid most of us have been called to do a work for God and because of fear…we have neglected to go. Young people especially, are called on daily to live the Christian life as their witness for Him…but because of fear of what their friends will do or say, they do nothing—or at times will choose to ‘follow the crowd’ and therefore they loose their opportunity to witness. We should never have fear as we follow God’s will for our lives; know for sure…if God’s calls you to do a work for him…He will go with you and furnish what ever you need to be successful.

There is no way to overemphasize the need for prayer. In verse four Nehemiah said; the king said to me, “What is it you want?” “Then I prayed to the God of heaven…” With little time to think...he prayed. In fact there are eight places in this book that records the fact that Nehemiah prayed. When you enter a work for God, even though he has instituted the call, your first response should be to pray for divine guidance and his power. If you have not recognized a call from God, then you need to pray asking him why you are not being included in his host of helpers.

During the ninety years of exile, the Samaritans had moved into the homes left behind, they had occupied the better farms and vineyards, and reopened the places of business…they were now the power structure. When Zerubbabel first returned with a group of exiles, he had refused to allow the Samaritans to have any part in the first years of the rebuilding of the land. Now this is the third group to return and they feared the loss of property and power. They did not want God’s people to succeed. Time has not changed the minds of powerful rulers. The Bible was written by people just like we are today, except they spoke a different language and the names of people and places are often difficult for us to understand or even pronounce. Some say that they have difficulty understanding the motives of some and the results of unfaithful people and their dastardly deeds. However, if the names were Bush, Washington and Lincoln our understanding would multiply greatly…and if the places in the bible were Arkansas, America and Mexico we would have little problem understanding what we are reading. This lesson today would be almost like reading the front pages of the news paper over the past few years. Problems today are about land, oil, trade, money and political power and control. As far as I know, they did not argue about the oil deposits…but the other problems are exactly the same.

Nehemiah and his exiles arrived in Jerusalem safely and before the end of the third day he had surveyed the destructive condition of the city walls. In verse seventeen he declared his intentions. “You see the trouble we are in; Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and we will no longer be in disgrace.” In my mind’s eye, I can see a hoard of people standing before him ready for their instructions. Almost two hundred years have passed since the wall was torn down and burned, other nations had ruled over the city all this time and were still strong enough to cause some problems as the Jews start the rebuilding project. In verse eighteen he told them that God had called him to supervise the work and his king had sanctioned his plans to get it completed. The response was that of a group of people who have confidence in you…who believe you can do what you declare you will do. Positive people responded to positive leadership and they said…”Let us start rebuilding.” And they accepted his plans and leadership and began the work.

In the first verses of chapter three you can read and see that Nehemiah was an organizer…a leader…a promoter and knew how to get people to follow him as they completed this important assignment acknowledged and approved by God.

Being negative is the same as saying NO. It is hitting the brakes instead of the accelerator. It is closing down a Sunday school class instead of starting a new one. It is a vote to weaken the church instead of a vote to go forward and upward. Believe me Christian friends…old age will physically lock the brakes…physically slow you down…and physically prevent you from being the promoter and leader you still want to be. But that does not mean that you must mentally start standing in the way of progress. Our God has a positive mind set that demands action on the part of the true believer. The scriptures are overpowered with his commands for action, progress and success. Read it for yourself: Repent. Confess. Be baptized. Come unto me. Believe on me. Trust in me. Love and obey me. Feed my sheep. Go and teach. Love me and your brother. Forgive. Ask. Knock. Pray. When you obey…your broken walls will be restored.

Honoring the Savior's Birth - Matthew 1:1-18; 2:5-12

The first time I taught a Sunday school class—it was a group of ninth to twelfth graders at First Baptist Church, in Griffithville, Arkansas, about fifty-eight years ago. It would appear to most of you that after teaching the Christmas Story fifty or more times, any teacher should make some vast improvements in their presentation. I am always searching for new ideas and different ways to present the story of the birth of our Lord and Savior—however, it seemed to get harder each year. Then, just a few years ago, it finally became evident that this wonderful word picture of his birth has never changed—and the only improvement one can make is within our hearts…in how we love him more…and in allowing our faith in him to grow. The gospels tell the story of the birth of Christ, and if one will read the different versions with studious minds and an open heart, he/she will find that no man-written commentary can enhance the verbal picture recorded in the gospels.

In addition to our annual study of the simple story of the manger scene it appears to me that we should broaden our understanding of the time line about related incidences that occurred before and after his birth. Search the literature available and you will find that most writers agree to the information given below. The sequence of events and even the actual dates of the events are very important to us as they help prove beyond any doubt that Jesus Christ, is the Son of God and that he was born just as his birth was fore-told by the prophets of old.

Christ was born during the period of time when the Roman Empire was in power and growing as they conquered one nation after another.

• In 37 BC King Herod the Great became ruler of the Roman Empire
• In either 6 or 5 BC Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah
• In either 5 or 4 BC Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Egypt for his safety
• In 4 BC Herod died and it seemed safe now for them to return
• In either 4 or 3 BC Joseph, Mary and Jesus returned to Nazareth
• In AD 6 Judea became a Roman province, Christ lived here
• In either AD 6 or 7 Jesus made his visit to the temple, where he confounded the priest and elders with his [first teaching job]
• In AD 14 Tiberius Caesar became Roman Emperor in Jerusalem
• In AD 26 Pontius Pilate was appointed as Governor of Judah
• In AD 26 or 27 Jesus began his ministry that lasted about three years
• In AD 28 Jesus chose the twelve disciples and they joined the ministry
• In AD 29 Jesus performed the miracle of fish and bread that fed the five thousand plus women and children
• In AD 30 Jesus was crucified, arose from the grave and ascended
• In AD 30 he sent The Holy Spirit to the upper room
• In AD 30 Jesus gave his church their true mission—to go and teach

Matthew was a Jew and his gospel is written primarily with the Jewish people in mind. He felt that it was necessary for him to prove that Jesus Christ was the Messiah who was predicted in the Old Testament, and in order for the Jews to accept him—it was necessary to prove that he was a descendant of both David and Abraham. As we know through other scriptures, the Jews recognized Jesus but would not accept him because they were looking for a KING and not a servant.

Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham is recorded in the first chapter. From Abraham to Christ there were forty-two generations. There were fourteen generations from Abraham to David…There were fourteen generations from David to the exile to Babylon…and finally there were fourteen generations from the exile to the birth of Christ—making forty-two in all. I hope, at least for some of you. this next observation is a new one…and maybe/just maybe…someone can say I learned one thing new by studying the lesson today. As you read through the genealogy you will note that Matthew says that Abraham was the father of Isaac; David was the father of Solomon; and Jacob was the father of Joseph; but he did not say that Joseph was the father of Jesus. Matthew referred to Joseph as the husband of Mary. We know that God was the Father.

Here is another thought for today. Matthew was not a medical doctor. Although he may have never trained as a specialist in gynecology or as a pediatrician there were millions of babies being born in his day, and I feel sure that he understood the common process necessary for a woman to become pregnant. Any doctor today will tell you that it is a physical impossibility for a woman to become pregnant without the induction of a male sperm. Matthew would have probably said the same thing; however he did not doubt that this could happen as a spiritual miracle…he believed the Holy Spirit to be the father. I sincerely hope that many of our doctors today have that same kind of faith.

As I read verse 18, I ask myself why the belief in the virgin birth is so important to the Christian believer. The answer comes as an overpowering truth only to those who believe in the bible as the absolute word of God, and from God. Jesus Christ is without sin. He is God’s son. He had to have a father in order to be born as an earthly child. Because Adam sinned, we are all sinners and therefore there was no man on earth without sin who could father this child. Christ was born to Mary and therefore was a human being. His father was God [through spirit] and therefore was born with no trace of human sin. Why important? It is this important…you can not be born again until you believe that Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully divine.

Jesus Christ was both—a human being with flesh and blood—and a Spirit Man with a divine nature. Jesus lived here on this earth about thirty years under trying circumstances and therefore through his earthly experiences we know that he fully understands our experiences and struggles [Hebrews 4: 15-16]. And because he is God, he has the power to deliver us from our sins [Colossians 2: 13-15]. When we pray and ask him for his help he hears our prayer, he understands us, he has been where we are and had already suffered what we are suffering and then in addition—Jesus paid our sin debt through his horrible death on the cross.

It is Christmas time at our house, and I believe that this is true at your house too. Do you really believe that we are worried about the same things these days that trouble the heart of God? This will recall just a few of the things that have happened and are happening that troubles some of us at Christmas time.

Today, Juanita and I received a box of grapefruit that our youngest daughter’s family sent by UPS. On the company label, they had written in large print, X-MAS GREETINGS from...name of sender. Someone working for the company that delivered the box had XXX out the X-MAS, and written in CHRISTMAS GREETINGS. That person is concerned about people who are willing to X Christ out of Christmas. Jesus is more concerned when we cross some needy person off of our gift list.

Travel the state and visit the court houses and see how many nativity scenes you can find. Listen to the music in the stores where you shop and compare the music you hear to stories of the birth of Christ. You will frequently hear—“Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” but not “Silent Night;” and “Mom Kissing Santa Clause,” but not, “O-Holy Night.” Most Christians are concerned—are you? I believe that Christ is concerned—but these may not be his main concerns…so let us look at some of the things that may concern him more.

Christmas is not a holiday proclaimed by Christ. He probably was not even born at this time of year. In its beginning, the Christmas celebration was a pagan festival—but knowing Jesus as I do, I think he is happy anytime we celebrate his name on any day and at any time. He would tell you again today as he told men of old—you celebrate most when you love your God with all your heart and especially when you love one another.

I believe he would tell us not to worry too much about people calling a Christmas-tree a Holliday-tree. After all he made all the trees—why not worship him and thank him for all of our beautiful forests. If Christ had chosen the tree to commemorate his birth…it might have been a grapevine…he reminded us several times that he was the vine and we were his branches [see John 15: 1-8].

If every Christian that has complained about the Nativity Scene leaving the court yards would sell all their Santas, snowmen an lighted reindeers and use the money to erect nativity scenes in their yards—the number of scenes would multiply by the millions. If every bible-believing church would erect a Nativity Scene in front of the sanctuary there would be at least fifty in each county in Arkansas. I believe the Christ-child would feel more at home in a church yard than a court yard. I also think that Jesus would prefer that his Nativity Scene would be built by Christians than politicians. What should we do? We could volunteer to chair a committee at the church that would be in charge of the Nativity Scene each Christmas. The next time you think about complaining in a letter to the editor, why not write a letter of love and appreciation to some lonely soldier in Iraq.

Giving gifts at Christmas time is a wonderful and thoughtful way of expressing your love. But this year, instead of giving your children a lot of expensive toys that don’t last and will soon be discarded [and that you probably can least afford]…spend some extra time with them. Be sure you include some of the stories about the birth of Christ and why he gave up his home in heaven to spend thirty miserable years on earth. Don’t forget to love them, hug them and tell them that Christ loves them too.

Stop worrying about what your retailer calls the holiday, just be patient and friendly with his employees even if they are not allowed to wish you a “Merry Christmas” and they say “Happy Holiday”—that doesn’t keep you from wishing them a “Merry Christmas.”

Finally, here may be the very best Christmas gift that you can possibly give, because it would bless so many people. Stop shopping on Sunday! Wal-Mart makes big money every Sunday, but if they had no customers, they would soon close on Sunday and that would give thousands of employees a Sunday off to attend church—stay at home with the family—or at worst go fishing.

And now—from my house to your house—Juanita and I

WISH YOU A “MERRY-MERRY

CHRISTMAS” AND A BLESSED

NEW YEAR !

MERRY CHRISTMAS YOU ALL—MAY GOD BLESS YOU REAL GOOD! See you next year.

Exhibit Your Faith - Hebrews 11

Would you like to read a short scripture that will give you some of the greatest examples recorded in the Bible regarding men and women that have exhibited their faith? Yes, well then you need go no further than the first part of chapter eleven in Hebrews. Paul has gathered together in these few verses the greatest stories of people that truly lived a quality life that demonstrated their faith. However, if you really want to know more about faith, you should read the stories of the actual demonstrations of faith…you will need to go to the books referenced in the old testament and read the actual account of each experience. There are several examples of ‘EXHIBITED FAITH’ that have always fascinated me…and most of the examples are listed in this lesson.

If you choose to read about these exhibitions of faith; or if you already know them from memory—I have a suggestion that should help you to feel adequate in your faith. Just remember you do not have to decide now whether you would plunge the sword into your son’s heart…You do not have to decide whether or not you would work most of the years of your adult life building a boat of safety on dry ground…Neither do you have to give up your home and possessions, take your family and drive off to some unknown place. You only must have a mustard grain of faith which is adequate for you to say to Christ—“Here am I send me” and then you demonstrate your faith by obeying Christ in whatever he leads you to do for him.

It is difficult for me to realize that there are inhabited areas in the world where no rain ever fell…and the moisture needed to sustain life always came up from the ground. Noah lived in such a place. In my mind’s eye, I try to picture a man that had never seen rain…but he still had faith to believe God, and build a ship [ark] on dry land believing that it would be the refuge for his family and for all of the future generations of living things. You must remember that the construction of this ark took the greater part of his adult life, and that year after year, his unbelieving neighbors and friends constantly ridiculed him, made fun of him, chided him each day about his unbelievable story that the flood was coming that would float the ark away from its dry dock. By the way, this was probably the first ‘dry dock’ ever used by man to build ships.

Noah must have been a Godly man, a wonderful husband and father to have won his family over into the depth of faith needed to obediently follow him and God. OH! How I wish I could have had that kind of influence on my family! It is so very important that we believe that it is by FAITH that we will defeat the evil one who is bent on our destruction. It is not what I think. It is not what you think. It is not what the world thinks. And it is surly not the way the majority votes that will determine where we spend eternity. It is by God’s wonderful grace, through our steadfast faith…belief is not enough…the Devil believes and trembles. We must exhibit, show and prove our faith by personally accepting Christ as Savior. This calls for a personal ‘one on one’ relationship with Jesus Christ, the final and only true sacrifice that has the power to forgive sin.

Please allow me to stretch your imagination just a little; we will successfully arrive in heaven if we believe in the triune God head; and that he has the power to create an ocean in a desert area; that he also has the power superior to nature that will cause a barren woman, to old to conceive, to be with child; and finally he had the power to topple a huge city when the attacking army did no more than march around the city one time each day for six day and blow a trumpet. It is by Grace, through Faith [belief] that we are saved—it is not of ourselves [works] but the grace of God. This ‘faith’ is deeper than a simple belief…It must be an exhibited faith…It becomes active or exhibited when you act upon it and ACCEPT Christ as your personal Savior. Christ will accept your faith as strong and complete when you call on him to forgive your sins, and come into your heart and allow you to live, work and serve using his power.

***We will now go directly to Hebrews eleven [first verse] where we will find one of the best definitions of faith that is spelled out in the bible. Do you hope that you will go to heaven? Surely, we all do! “Now faith is being sure of what we hoped for.” As earthlings we have not, do not, and can never see heaven. “Now faith is being certain that heaven is a reality prepared for Christ and his bride [the church],” even though we can not see it. My faith has convinced me that God created the earth—I am sure of it even though I did not see him do it. Here is a bigger concept. I believe that God used ‘stuff’ that ‘did not’ exist anywhere in the universe’ and therefore could not be seen or even imagined as the building materials in his creation [verse 3]. The things he used in creation must have been a part of the great “I AM” and the materials had no beginning until he spoke them into existence as the need arose. He is so great and so powerful that everything was stored on one tiny chip in his spiritual computer [brain, head, heart and soul] and all he had to do was SPEAK it into existence. I believe that one reason that people have the power of speech is because of the greatness of ‘two simple words’ and they are voice and word. Jesus Christ is the WORD…and God used his VOICE [word] to SPEAK his entire creation into existence. God wanted his people to be a little higher than the animals.

Here is an assurance that gives me great pleasure, satisfaction and security. The Holy Book teaches us that there are some things that are meant to be beyond the understanding or even the imagination of man, I realize that there are men smarter than I, who understand more than I understand about God’s ways, but it does not bother me to tell you that God is so great and good that he prepared many things for us that I do not know about. And he has shown himself to be one that is beyond the imagination of the smartest minds of men. Do you believe this to be true? If so, then this is proof that you have faith. To save space I will not name and write about each and every one of the examples which starts with Able in verse four. These are self explanatory. I do hope you will read again about these men of great faith.

Why does a pastor or teacher emphasize the need for each Christian to know about these happenings that are six thousand years old? Because, as this book says in verse six—“It is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone without faith to please God.” No one can come to know God…no one can please him…unless they truly believe that there is only one God and that he will reward those that earnestly seek him. It is not easy for anyone to fully understand the meaning of faith…and it can not be over emphasized. The common reason why faith is hard to understand is simply because it is an abstract term…it is not a concrete item that can be seen, felt, heard or touched by human senses. It is more like the wind…which you do not see, but you know it is blowing when you see the leaves moving. Faith is not a figment of imagination [within the physical brain] it has its existence within the sole and spiritual heart of man—and this spiritual heart is not the one that pumps your blood through your body—it is that force in you that causes you to love your family, and your neighbors as yourself.

Pause for a moment my friends and realize that you probably will not see or even realize some of things you are hoping for within your lifetime. Just remember that once a goal in your life is reached, it is no longer a matter that requires your faith; instead it becomes a fact that is known. In verse 13 of this lesson it says that “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on this earth.” This passage is referring to Abraham and Sarah and their off spring that were countless like the sands of the sea shore. My fellow Christians—it is absolutely necessary that we live by faith until God calls us home. Governments, kingdoms, or any other power that is man made will not succeed: and will not suffice for your needs.

I have a set of the B.H.Carroll commentaries and even though they are not as professionally well done as others may be, I have great confidence in the content of these books. I have mentioned this man in my class, and it appears that several have never heard of B. H. Carroll. I will close this lesson today by giving you a brief history of one of his greatest accomplishments. He had a dream. He hoped for something that he could not see for two reasons. First he was literally deaf and could not hear. Second, his hope was at that time for something so big and important that he could not imagine it ever being a reality and therefore had to accept his responsibility in the task solely by faith. When God called him to the task—his answer was “I Will Try.” God’s first call was for him to become a Christian. He was saved. His second call was to submit to the ministry. He submitted. He was now an elderly Southern Baptist Preacher in Texas, intending to retire soon and devote his life to his writings. It was in the early 1900’s and he was traveling by train somewhere out in the Texas Panhandle. Not able to hold a conversation, he let his mind do his walking and it became centered upon the needs of all the rapidly growing Baptist churches in Texas that were depending upon uneducated and untrained young pastors.

He said that he thought about all the great schools and universities that had been established to train doctors, lawyers, dentist and school teachers which was great—but there was no place where Baptist preachers could receive a Christian education that included training for them as pastors. His third call came on the train as he sensed that God was calling him to start such a school. Riding for hours, he prayed and resisted because he was old and planning to retire soon. God’s spirit would not leave him be comfortable with his decision and without realizing that he was making a scene on the train he found himself standing holding to the seat ahead and he exclaimed out loud where all others could hear—“Lord, it is clearly thy will; what is impossible with man is possible with God; go thou with me, and I WILL TRY.

He said that he looked around and realized that his fellow passengers were staring at him with amusement and amazement. He sat down and used the surge of adrenalin flowing threw his veins to fully commit himself to God and the task set before him.

Armed with determination and faith for something that he HOPED FOR but could not see, B. H. Carroll founded Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth Texas in the year 1908. He responded to the call of God that he could not see. His faith was pleasing to God. He demonstrated his faith and God has rewarded him a thousand fold. Southwestern has been in existence ninety-eight years and is still growing. In my opinion, it is the model that all others should try to emulate. Southwestern Seminary is the result of one man’s faith. I am proud to say that my pastor is a graduate of Southwestern.

Show Gratitude - Hebrews 10:1-18

Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner. One of the greatest stories recorded in American History is regarding the establishment or setting aside of one day at the end of harvest time, to give thanks to God for the harvest, for food, for friends and fellowship and for the blessings that God had bestowed upon his people. I concur that this should be done yearly for all the people and every day for individuals that trust God for health and happiness. This day ranks close to that of Christmas and Easter in my worship time, and it bothers me immensely that the complainers and deniers have influenced our government to the extent that we are losing the thought and reason behind these days of celebration. Christmas should always remind us that our Savior was born. Easter must help us remember that Christ died to atone for our sins, and that he arose to live forever as our High Priest. Thanksgiving Day is set aside to continually remind us that all good things in our life are the fruits of our savior’s love. Christians must stand firm against any evil force that tries to minimize the importance of any of these days of remembrance.

Christians must remember the origins of Thanksgiving Day in America! We must never forget that Jesus Christ, the Son of God should be the recipient of our thanks. The absolute greatest favor ever offered to mankind was not just food, shelter, and friends—but the greatest favor was the free gift of God’s Son on the cross for our sins. This lesson centered around Hebrews chapter ten coming just before the Thanksgiving season, should set the stage of us to express our ‘Thanksgiving’ for Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. Allow me to recall the main theological themes of this book up to this point.

1. Christ is superior to the angels and prophets [Hebrews one and two].
2. Jesus Christ our savior is superior to the great Moses of old [three and four].
3. Our High Priest, Jesus, is superior to the Levitical high priest [5 &7].
4. Our new covenant is superior to the old covenant [Heb. 8-9].
5. To the four above Paul has added number five which is that Christ’s Sacrifice is superior to the old sacrifices [Hebrews ten].

Moses built the original tabernacle, which was probably only a huge, and quality built tent to house the special built container of the Law which even then was held behind the curtain in the Holy of Holies where only the High Priest could go and offer sacrifices for the people. This tradition continued until the reign of Solomon, who built the greatest temple ever imagined in Jerusalem, that contained the Arc of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies hidden by the veil or curtain that was rent or split open from top to bottom at the moment that Christ became our true sacrifice on the cross.

Solomon’s temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in the year of 586 B.C. It seems ironical to me that King Herod the Great, a Roman king assisted the Jews in building the temple back in even greater splendor just seventy years later and it stood for more than five hundred years. During all these hundreds of years the Jewish priesthood, with their rituals and sacrifices stood as examples or shadows of the coming Messiah who would replace them.

Christ appeared on the scene and started his ministry around 30 A.D. He told the Hebrew people that the beautiful temple, standing at the time of his birth, would be destroyed, and that not one stone would be left standing in the walls and they did not believe him. Never the less, the Jerusalem temple was utterly demolished by the Roman army in the year A.D. 70. Paul wrote this book to the Hebrews sometime around the year 50 A.D. while the temple was still standing and it was beyond their comprehension that their old covenant would become null and void so soon. Many were still holding on to the old covenant, and even those who accepted the new covenant, had several years to cause them to doubt that the new way would be superior to the old way. It has been 2936 years since the temple fell and it has not been rebuilt. The absence of the Jewish temple stands as a constant reminder that the old sacrificial system has been replaced by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ who is now the one and only High Priest.

Verse one of the tenth chapter [today’s lesson] says: “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming.” Under the law, sacrifices had to be made over and over, and people were not made perfect once and for all—they still felt guilty for their sins. The blood of bulls and goats could not remove guilt and sin but was only a shadow of the blood of Jesus Christ which could save. On the Day of Atonement, the people were reminded of their sins, and they must have felt guilty again. What they needed was the permanent and powerful sin-destroying forgiveness that we enjoy from the Savior. Our way is superior because when we confess a sin to him, we never have to think about it again—Christ forgives our sin and the sin no longer exists. 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Our true confession of sin makes it possible for Christ to remove it from us as far as the east is from the west.

Verse 4 says “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Animal sacrifice was not permanent, and only provided a way to deal with sin until Jesus came to deal with it forever. How were the Jews saved? They were saved by “faith’ because they followed God’s commands regarding the sacrifice and he counted their “faith” as righteousness. That practice was always looking forward to Christ’s perfect sacrifice. Therefore, Christ’s way was superior to the Old Testament way because the old way only pointed to what Christ would do to take away sins.

Paul quotes Psalms 40: 6-8 here in Hebrews 10: 5-7. Then he told the Hebrews that they were not happy or pleased with the requirements even though the law required them. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” And by that will “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” In what ways do you SHOW YOUR GRATITUDE? If we do not SHOW GRATITUDE it is demeaning to Jesus Christ.

In verse eleven Paul said that day after day the priest performed his religious duties—again and again he offered the same sacrifices of animal blood, which can never take away sins. Then he said, “But when this priest [Jesus Christ] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God and there he awaits the time when his enemies will be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice [his death on the cross] he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. NOTE: Here is another place in the scripture where we are assured of our salvation…because when we are made holy, we become sons of God and “He has made us perfect forever, through his death on the cross.”

Adding anything to his sacrifice [death on the cross] or taking anything from it denies its validity. Any system to gain salvation through good works is denying and rejecting the sacrifice of Christ’s death and it is spurning the Holy Spirit’s work. When we repent of our sins and trust [believe in Christ] he makes us completely right with God. Our loving relationship leads us to follow him in obedience and service and he is pleased with our service [all good deeds] but we are in no way saved by our service. We serve because we are saved and not to be saved.

In verse 16, Paul refers us back to the promise made in Jeremiah 31:33, where the Lord promises the new covenant which will put “My laws in their hearts and I will write them on their minds” and then he adds “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” Think about this—how many time will Christ forgive you of A SIN. He will forgive A SIN only one time—and then he remembers it no more. I have had some real problems with this because I have committed some grievous sins that I cannot forget—they keep coming back to haunt me. I have had to remind myself over and over that I repented and Jesus forgave me, and he does not remember that sin against me. How many times will Christ forgive me when I sin—not seven—not seventy but seven times seventy which means infinity…as long as I live…I will commit other sins…and he will forgive me for all of them. If I humble myself, seek his face, and repent—he is faithful and just and will forgive me. Please excuse me for being personal—over use of I—this applies to you also.

This paragraph is intended to bring peace of mind to someone of you the readers. There is only one sin for which there is no forgiveness…IT IS THE SIN OF UNBELIEF! You must believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the comforter they sent when Christ arose—The Holy Spirit, and you must believe that Jesus died as the sacrifice necessary for you to have forgiveness and if you do not believe you will be lost forever because of your UNBELIEF. However, if you are a born gain Christian, Christ forgave every sin that you had ever committed and will remember them no more. Because we have a sin nature, you will continue to sin and come short sometimes not even realizing that you are committing a sin. When you sin, you must repent of the new sin…you do not have to repent of sins already forgiven…and he will continue to forgive you. The Book tells me that I am to pray continuously…pray without ceasing…and that can certainly mean more than every Sunday, or more than once a day. It means for you to pray every time you feel a need for sure…and that will surely include each morning when you awaken from a night’s rest and each night when you lie down to rest.

Believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior, trust and obey him to the best of your ability and don’t let the devil rob you of your peace of mind when he tries to make you feel guilty for sins of your past that Christ does not remember. Only trust and obey—for there is no other way! And don’t forget to be GRATEFUL. Our Lord will recognize the smallest gratitude. But when we are truly grateful, it will be our witness to the world about this BETTER WAY.

Christians should cast their vote in every election…failure to vote gives
nonbelievers one more advantage as they seek to take complete control of our
Governmental rights!
DON’T GIVE UP YOUR RIGHTS…GO VOTE!

Live in Hope - Hebrews 6:13 - 7:28

In our study last Sunday the writer [I believe it was Paul] warned the readers of this book that they must mature in Christ. His admonition was also directed our way, so I ask you—have you matured spiritually? Or—are you just one week older? He accused the first readers of being spiritually lazy because of their lack of study of the word and refusal to move on from the elementary teachings to the teachings with greater depth. Be honest…have you opened your bible this week? There is nothing that is more depressing to anyone than the LOSS OF HOPE. The Holy bible is the only source where one can find rest and peace from their hopefulness. Three things are sure in one’s life. 1] You will live until you die. 2] You will die. 3] You will spend eternity is either Hell or Heaven! You only have one possible choice and it is regarding number three; You can repent of your sins, ask Christ to save you, and be born again while you live and go to heaven when you die—or you can continue to reject Christ and the cross and lose all hope of heaven… and at the time of your death, you will for certain—make Hell your place of abode forever. There is no wonder why Paul told us that we must study the word in depth because the BIBLE BRINGS US HOPE! WE CAN LIVE IN HOPE…or DIE IN DESPERATION.

The certainty of God’s promises are discussed beginning with 6: 13 and it is because of God’s promises that we can LIVE IN HOPE—the title of our lesson today. A promise is like a contract, a will, or court witness and must be signed {or sworn in} under oath in order to be binding. A witness places his hand on the bible and swears “under God” to tell the truth. God made his promise to Abraham, saying that his blessing would come through him {Abraham} and his son Isaac and their decedents. Remember, Abraham and his wife were too old to have children and had waited for years—most men would have lost HOPE but Abraham did not lose his HOPE… and because of his faith God’s promise to him and Sarah was fulfilled when Isaac was born, and their seed replenished the earth with many decedents.

In order to swear an oath—one must have someone greater to swear by, but there was no one greater than God for him to swear by. Therefore when God made this oath, he swore by his own name and made his oath a part of God’s word. His word alone would have been enough for you and me to believe, because we believe his Word is TRUTH. However, he added his oath to his word and this addition made the promise even more certain [see gen. 22: 16]. Abraham waited patiently, offered to sacrifice {kill with a sword or knife} his son if need be and proved his faith, and verse 15 tells us that he received his promised blessing—which he had HOPED for. Verses 16 to 18 are self explanatory—read them now. Verses 19 and 20 tells us that God’s promises were securely founded and held in the holy of holies behind the curtain and it was there that the people could meet God and be forgiven of their sins…through their high priest—who was their intercessor. But now, under our new covenant, Christ went into the holy of holies for us [while he hung on the cross, when the vale was rent] once and for all, he entered on our behalf and became our High Priest forever. He was appointed by God and not man in the order of Melchizedek.

Chapter 7 starts by explaining what this meant. The Hebrew people thought of Abraham as their father and believed him. However, Paul explains to them that Melchizedek was superior to Abraham because he was King of Salem, which is another name for Jerusalem…which means King of Peace. Abraham had just defeated four invading kings, when Melchizedek met him. Abraham paid him tribute by giving him one tenth of the spoils he had obtained from the battle. This is first revealed in Gen. 14: 1-22, and explains that Abraham met face to face with his superior, Melchizedek. It is very interesting to find that there is no record of the birth or death of Melchizedek, who was without beginning of days or end of life being recorded in history and represents the coming of Christ who has always been and will always be…Jesus also was without beginning of days or ending of life. Paul is establishing the fact that Christ is our “peace” and he is showing the significance of peace in the work that Christ did while on earth. Paul believes that Melchizedek was a mere man, a normal human being, but the record was left that would show that he represented the Messiah [Christ] who was, is and will always be. The bottom line is that the priest hood of Christ is the standard and Melchizedek pictured his coming.

In his humanity Jesus had a human mother and a genealogy at birth that traced back to David. As our Savior, the Son of God, he was there in the beginning and will be sitting at the throne throughout eternity, and his years will never end [Hebrews [1: 12]. Jesus Christ is God as well as being the Son of God. Jesus told us that “I and my Father are one” and he told the disciples at the time of his departure that he would send “HIS SPIRIT” that we know as the Holy Spirit, to be our guide, our counselor. The three, God the Father, Jesus the son, and The Holy Spirit make up the trinity—we serve a triune God. When one speaks…the other two are the witnesses. This system of Holy law was pictured under the old Mosaic Law that said that if there were two witnesses who agreed the victim was either guilty or innocent as charged. Paul told everyone that this system is superior to the old one because there are always two witnesses that agree with the one proclaiming the truth.

You should turn now to the last part of this chapter, 7: 15-28. Remember that the problem being addressed was that some of the Jews [Hebrews] had heard the Word from the disciples and teachers of the Church and had been persuaded to become partakers of the grace of God—the unmerited favor of God—and because of this, they came under persecution by their own people…the same people that put Christ on the cross—the orthodox Jewish leaders. Because of this pressure, they were said to be falling away from the Church. Actually, they had been convinced that they were more secure under the old covenant. The central theme of this writer has been to prove once and for all that the priest hood of Levi consisted of men with sin in their nature. Even the high priest, who approached the throne only on one special day each year, had to shed his royal robe and dress in spotless white, confess his sins first, and wash his hands before he could enter the Holy of Holies where he then offered sacrifices for the sins of the people. All these were priest either by being a Levite or by appointment by man. Christ is now the High Priest because God said, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” [Psalms 110: 4].

The remainder of this chapter is offered as proof positive that Jesus Christ is now High Priest by appointment of God and that this is a superior way to that of the law. Paul explained this superiority by giving examples of individual priest and their work under law and by listing examples. The first two ideas that are of utmost importance are that Christ is now High Priest by appointment by God…and Christ is not only the High Priest, but he is also the sacrifice. Other priest sacrificed animals, God sacrificed his Son…who is without sin. There is a big difference, because Christ does not have to confess sin [He has none] and ask for a blood sacrifice [He was the blood sacrifice] and he made the sacrifice for us because of his love.

Priest of old came into that office because of birth or appointment by Jewish regulation. Verse 16 states that [“The former regulation is set aside because it is weak and useless…for the law made nothing perfect, and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.] Paul knew that Jews placed much weight on any promise made under oath, and he told them that the appointment of Christ was not without oath…because God has sworn and will not change his mind…Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is a priest forever.

God swore this oath and therefore Jesus has become a better covenant than the old one under law. Paul says that there were many priests under law, because they would die and had to be replaced. This need for succession is no more because Christ will live and intercede for us forever… He will do more than just intercede for us; but also save us because he is our sacrifice. Verse 26 says that Christ is the only High Priest that can meet all the needs of the people…because he is unlimited. “He is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.” Jesus is superior to the priest of Levi who had to offer sacrifices day after day for themselves first and then the people. He does not have to offer sacrifice each day…He died on the cross one time for everyone. He offered himself…once and for all. He does not sacrifice for us daily…one time is all God required…but he does intercede for us daily because of our sinful nature. If we confess our sins to him daily, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins daily. How many times will he forgive us…seven times? Or seven times seventy? There is no limit, so long as we humbly repent and ask for his forgiveness.

Everything we have studied in the first chapters of Hebrews is closely related to the new and better promises of the NEW COVENANT. To the best of my ability, I have searched these first chapters to find what promises are included and listed them below for our study, assurance, and proof that we can live IN HOPE.

1. The first promise relates to the work of the Holy Spirit which is to renew and sanctify our souls and glorify our bodies in order to help us keep God’ law on an individual basis and then we will become a wholly nation that God will possess and bless.
2. Another promise is of our Surety [Christ] who will intercede for us until the work of the Holy Spirit is completed. When we are first saved, we are not totally prepared for our entire being, body, soul, and spirit to keep the law of God with absolute perfection. We need a Surety to intercede for us until the day that we become perfect and like Christ. Jesus became our Surety by his death on the cross [our sacrifice] …”Jesus hath become the surety of a better covenant” [7: 22].
3. The new covenant promised us a one time sacrifice…that was all-sufficient…no other sacrifices will ever be needed…Jesus Christ forever atoned for our sin.
4. This is one of the places in scripture that assures us of the priest-hood of the believer. We are our own priest, and we have access to the CHIEF PRIEST, CHRIST…and can approach God directly at all times and at any place that we have a need. There is now no need for us to have another human go-between to plead our case. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, and we go directly to Christ who understands our heart and forgives our sin.
5. We are promised the glorious advent of our Lord and Savior…this time not as our sacrifice…but as judge of the world.
6. We are promised a glorious outcome…heaven! And there we will find eternal rest, peace, joy and an everlasting presence with God himself.