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.

Seek Forgiveness - Hebrews 4:14 to 5:10

We are living as a part of a generation that is more prone to be involved in some undesirable activities with little thought about what the consequences will entail. Out of a family with three siblings, at least one of them will probably be somewhat rebellious and prone to run with the wrong crowd. The rebellious seldom take the time to look into their future and see what their ‘good times’ are going to cost when pay day comes. They are self sufficient and have no need of parental directions or anyone else interfering with what they want to do. The day of reckoning always arrives, and sooner or later the time will come when an intercessor is needed. The probability is high that the call for help will be made to the loving parents or siblings that still love and care.

People have always been represented by this example of child rebellion such as the example given above. We were conceived in sin and born with a nature that is prone to sin even after we realize that there must be a better way. Fortunately, many of us realized that we were on the wrong road, running with the wrong crowd, and decide that we need God in our life. The chances are strong that we will go to our ‘brothers in Christ’ or our father Jesus Christ for immediate help. We may not even realize it at the time of our concern, but what we really need is an intercessor that can sit down with the Judge [God] and talk to him on our behalf.

The Hebrews had always been able to go to their high priest, confess their sins and have him take them behind the veil into the Holy of Holies and intercede for them asking God to forgive their sins by making a sin offering that contained animal blood. Jesus Christ is greater than the Old Testament priesthood—and he is our high priest. The Jewish priest was just a man…he had his own sins to deal with…and in many cases he lived a life of fluency and was not acquainted with the ordinary every day problems of the average man on the street or on the farm. It was not possible for him to always relate to the person in need of forgiveness. In the last part of the fourth chapter, the writer is telling the Hebrews and US that Jesus was in heaven and therefore is acquainted with things there—and he came to earth and lived among his people and therefore understands their everyday problems and concerns.

It is important that you read these three verses. Since Christ was tempted and did not sin, he understands how temptations work on our minds and attempt to lure us in the wrong direction. He has been in both worlds…in Heaven the land of purity…and on this earth that is contaminated with sin therefore He is able to sympathize with us in our problem areas. The bottom line or the question to be answered here is this: why would anyone—the Hebrews or we want to trade our high priest for one with less experience, knowledge, understanding and power? So then what should we do? We must make the move toward God…We must “Approach the throne of grace” and this has reference to the presence of God more than a certain place. This is the place where God gives us our free favor [by grace, unmerited] and is more likely to be in your closet with the door closed and on your knees.

This passage begins by stressing the sheer greatness and absolute deity of Jesus Christ. He is great by nature and not by honors conferred by men but by being God. He has been there—in heaven and the presence of God the Father. Then the passage turns to the other side—He was also here on earth and he has a complete identity with men. He was hungry, thirsty and tired. Since Jesus was without sin—he must have had depths of despair and tensions and assaults of temptations that we will never know and therefore we can not fully understand. The fact that he was sinless made his battle against temptation much harder. The tempter used ever ounce of his power in trying to break Christ down—not so with us, because we fall into temptation on our own without it requiring much urging from the devil. I think of his temptation as our pain; we can bear up under a large measure of pain…but if it is too severe we lose consciousness, so there are depths of pain that we will never know—he must have had temptations that we will never understand.

Jesus was already sympathetic toward us but his temptations strengthened his gift of sympathy—that is it increased his grace toward us. Because he understands our infirmities we will never know the depth and quality of his mercy. He knows our problems and understands the pressure we are under because he has been there and has endured even more than we. Since he knows our needs, he is able to help and does so many times when we do not even ask or realize it is happening. And then in the hard times, when our going gets tough, God has promised his mercy and grace to anyone who through their faith in him will boldly and sincerely seek his face. The Hebrews were being taught what we already know from the study of the Word…If we need to SEEK FORGIVENESS and expect positive results—then we must seek it through the most able and capable of all the high priest…JESUS CHRIST.

If you have not already done so, you should now read the fifth chapter of Hebrews. In the very first verse we find that every high priest should be a man. Every high priest is male and he is appointed or called for a purpose. He is to represent his people in matters that are related to God. He is able to deal with those who are ignorant and are going astray. However, he is still man and not perfect, so he must deal with God over his own sins as well as being the intercessor for others. He is not and can not be a high priest unless he is called by God just as God called Aaron to be high priest.

If you will examine the definition of the priest as to his place in the church and the work he is responsible for, the position of pastor in First Baptist meets these criteria. For this reason I personally believe the pastor should be a man…called by God to do the work of a priest in a church that has democratically chosen him to be their particular shepherd. I have not found scripture anywhere in the bible that says that women were called to be priest, pastors or deacons.

[Note: space does not permit us to say more about the priesthood, but you can find a full explanation in Exodus 28 and 29. In Leviticus 1-7 the sacrifices to be offered are explained and in Leviticus 8 and 9 you will find how Aaron was ordained as the high priest and this is the office that was still operating at the time that Paul wrote this letter to the Hebrews.

No man can decide on his own to become a priest—therefore Christ did not decide to be a priest, but was called by God. God told Christ, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” This statement is found in Psalms 110:4 where David is talking about the new Messiah that is to come. [Note—in Psalms He is referred to as the Messiah and here in Hebrews is referred to as Christ. It appears to me that Paul is using the name Christ to help them understand that this is one and the same person.] Melchizedek was priest of Salem [now Jerusalem] and you can read more about him in Genesis 16.

As we read verse seven it becomes evident that Paul is not satisfied with the response he is getting from the Hebrews because he continues to give more evidence that Christ is above angels, sacrifices, and other high priest. Notice he goes back to the name Jesus and says that Jesus life on earth was not easy. He is referring here to the prayers that Jesus offered up in the Garden of Gethsemane as he prayed to his Father for the cup to be removed if possible—but that his will be done. As God’s son he learned through his suffering what total obedience could ultimately cost. Say, we should stop here and tremble. With all the hatred of the world being pointed at the Christian movement it is not completely unthinkable that we may soon have to give our lives for Christ or lose everything by converting to another religion. It is beyond my comprehension why both our government and our church leadership try so hard not to insult [some call it being politically correct] other religions when few are left that respects the Christian religion.

Christ prayed and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Have you ever prayed and then felt that God did not hear your prayers? I have. Sometimes we may pray without reverent submission and that is always a must if God is expected to answer in the positive. He has promised to answer our prayers when made submissively. I realize that the answer is sometimes no, or wait, and sometimes I just do not recognize the answer when it comes.
Old Grand-paw Jones released a Christmas record years ago that was relevant and meaningful to me and it dealt with the answer to a prayer. I hope some will remember the legend of the one that Jesus had promised to visit for Christmas and He never did show up in person. Christmas morning the old man who lived alone prayed and asks God why he never did come to his house last night. The Lord told him that he came several times but was never recognized—once as an old man with no shoes; then as a child lost in the snow and an old lady hungry and cold.

Christ reminds me of the chameleon in that he can disguise himself and be in our presence without our immediate knowledge. We can be assured that Christ is with us at all times in the person of the Holy Spirit; however His work is to counsel us, lead us and give direction. Christ visits us as a person in need to test our willingness to serve him; or as a child who is lost to measure our ability to care for others. For most of us it would be a frightening experience if we should find out how many times Christ has been in our presence and we have completely ignored him.

This may be the greatest asset we have in old age. There is no doubt that experience comes with the extra years that pile up. There is no argument that some of the experiences are not worthwhile, useful or acceptable to God. However, Christians that are sincerely seeking to grow in grace and knowledge are able to do so. We are able to recognize opportunities to serve in time to respond effectively before the opportunity has passed us by. One reason, I think, is simply because we care more about living a life that is pleasing to our Savior. Our priorities definitely change and generally speaking the change is for the better.

NOTE; Southern Baptist people believe in the security of the believer. We believe that when a sinner repents of his sin of unbelief and accepts Christ as his savior he becomes a born again Christian that will never be lost again. Now, you should read what Paul says in 6: 4-6, and be ready to discuss a passage with a question mark.

Be Obedient - Hebrews 3 and 4

God finished his work of creation in six days; he then declared the seventh day as a day of rest. God promised his people that they would be able to settle and live in the Land of Milk and Honey which indicated a place of rest [Psalm 95:11]. Jesus has assured believers will go to live in Heaven which will be our place of rest. Moses and the first generation were able to reach the land of rest but were not able to enter; however after forty years of fruitless wandering in the wilderness, a new generation under a new leader, Joshua, was ready to enter the land. They went forth and were successful in conquering that land but for some reason they never did experience the rest that God had promised. Why did Moses fail to enter and why did Joshua fail to acquire the reset he had been promised? It was because both had followers that would not OBEY GOD.

The Israelites failed to get to their new and restful land because of disobedience, and their disobedience was caused by their unbelief. They did not believe that God would protect them against the new country’s giants reported to be already established in the land—neither did they believe that God would help them conquer the giants [Numbers 14-15]. The result of [unbelief-disobedience] was 40 years of wandering in the desert place—which was a terrible alternative to the gift that God had already planned for them. Today is no different; when we do not believe and trust God it [not sometimes but] always prevents us from receiving his best which has already been planned for us.

No sinner, born of flesh only, will ever enter the ultimate rest in Heaven—not because of their disobedience but simply and only because they never repent of their sins and seek Christ as their Savior; which is always the result of unbelief. You must be born again! There seems to be two kinds of rest implied in these scriptures. Back in 3: 16-19 the term ‘rest’ refers to the Promised Land; but in 4: 1-13 it seems to refer to another ‘rest’ which God was offering to the first century readers—and He also offers this same ‘rest’ to us at First Baptist. This peace and [rest] is found in the life that Christians enjoy, including the inner peace that accompanies our forgiveness of sin. Class members will note immediately that your teacher often refers to the consequence of disobedience in a Christian’s life. It always destroys the ‘joy of our salvation’ and it demands that one repent in order to have that joy restored.

The simple practice of obedience always draws saved people closer to God—while disobedience always introduces a chasm or gorge between God and a Christian. The act of obedience is just as important to the Christian as grace, faith and repentance is to a lost person. Without the latter you can not know God; but without obedience you can not please God. By faith, lost people accept God; and then as Christians, we show our faith by obeying God. This scripture today does not mention how love fits into this picture, but we should be reminded and always remember that Christ said that; “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” and that simply means that if we love Him we will obey him. The deduction here can be made to say that the more often we are disobedient, the less is our love for Jesus and since love is the most important ‘fruit of the spirit’ our fruit basket may sometimes be about empty. There are two kinds of love and the one used here is not a sensual love but it is a spirit driven love; one such as we would have toward a fireman that has just pulled us from a burning building—or toward a young life-guard that has just rescued an only child from an undercurrent in deep water.

I believe that Paul wrote this letter to the Hebrews because some [maybe many] of them who received this letter were on the verge of turning back from their promised rest in Christ—in the same way that the Israelites under Moses leadership had turned back from their promised land. Any time we doubt God and trust our own efforts instead of the power of Christ we are in danger of regressing rather than moving forward in his power. It is always difficult for the rich and powerful to completely surrender their lives and future to Christ who can only be known through faith. This is why we are warned about the inadequacies of our own efforts. Security and progress always comes through our faith and not by works; and not our position or wealth.

The members of the churches in this nation have the same problem that faced the people in Moses day. They have a head-knowledge about Christ but they do not have a personal relationship with him. Knowledge about the God-head is important but in order for it to produce life saving results it must be energized by faith. We must believe in Christ and then act on what we know. We must both love and trust Christ and then do what he says; ‘remember that ‘if we love Him we will keep his commandments.’

In 4:4 the “somewhere” is found in the book of Genesis where we find that the creation took six days and the seventh day was a day of rest. God is a ball of energy and requires no rest; therefore he rested on the seventh day not because he needed physical rest, but to indicate that creation was completed. The world was perfect and God expressed his pleasure in it…He saw that it was good. This rest that he took on the seventh day is a picture of our eternal joy that will come when God’s perfect creation that was and is contaminated by sin is restored back to perfection. As born-again Christians, our Sabbath-rest in Christ begins the moment we trust him as Lord and Savior. God set a certain day when this should happen and named it “Today”—and Paul says “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” My ‘today’ may be Monday…your ‘today’ may be Friday…the day of the week has no bearing…our ‘today’ is the day that we surrender to that small voice of the Holy Spirit calling us to salvation in and through Christ.

God gave the Israelites the opportunity to enter Canaan... [A picture of heaven] but they were disobedient and failed to enter [Numbers 13-14]. Now God is inviting us to enter that place he is preparing for us… [A home in heaven] our ultimate place of rest and in order to enter in we must believe that Christ died and that his blood has already paid all the building cost for the home and has paid for our transportation first class. Today is the day of salvation…tomorrow may be too late!

Read verses 8 to 11 and you will find that God wants us to enter his rest. It is not for a few days here but is peace with God now and eternal life on a new earth later. We do not have to wait until later to enjoy God’s rest and peace; It starts on our ‘today’ and it will not end at death but will at death turn into that eternal heavenly life in the new house Christ [he was a carpenter you know] is building [John 14:1]. [He is a gold-smith too.] Therefore we sincerely expect the streets in our new city to be gold.

There is an important instruction given in verse 11 that must not be misunderstood. The word ‘effort’ used here does not mean ‘works’ or ‘doing good’ to obtain salvation. It means that we must study the Word, follow the plan, obey the commands and appreciate and partake in what God has already provided. This word ‘effort’ has a two part meaning—decision and commitment. Decide what God would have you do and commit your life to doing what you have decided God wants of you.

The Word of God is not a book. It is the living, life changing dynamics of Christ living in us. You want to see God? Then you must look at Christ. You can see him in the Word through the total life he lived here on earth. Put all the Word pictures together and you will have a beautiful oil painting of him in your mind and soul. They are: Loving, sinless, worthy, Son of God, peaceful, harmless, forgiving, healing, lover of children, old people and the poor, down and out…and on to everything good and nothing bad. His Word is incisive and sharp dividing truth from error and it reveals all needful things to us. This is only one reason why we must be readers of the Word. To read the Word and listen to what it says is not enough…we must do what it says do and we must refrain from doing the things it condemns.

Every young person who is dating should be required to read 4:13 before embarking on a date. God sees and knows what you are doing all the time. Every bench warmer in the mall, old and young, should read this verse before they leave home to go sit and look while the spouse is shopping. Why? Because the word everything also includes our thoughts. Forgive me Lord! We are to shun the very appearance of evil; and this evil can be shunned by proper preparation such as having today’s paper or a good book to read or wearing a head-set that renders some good music that induces eye closing concentration. We must know and obey the scriptures which tell us that “To look with lust is also adultery.

I want to use an idea presented in the Life Way commentary and ask you to do some serious thinking about the word obedient and other words related and they are Obedience. Compliance. Submission. Duty. Read the following statements and rate them from 1 to 5. 1 represents strong disagreement and 5 represents strong agreement.

_____Obedience requires self discipline.
_____Duty often demands self sacrifice.
_____Strong self discipline interferes with my freedom.
_____It is important for me to be free to do what ever I want to do.
_____Submission is a sign of weakness.
_____The unsaved should obey God.
_____Good men can obey God without salvation.
_____Obeying God restricts my freedom.
_____Obeying God gives more freedom.
_____Obeying God brings blessings that otherwise will not be.
_____The most important act of obedience is to love God.
_____The second most important act of obedience is to respect human life.
_____Strict compliance with your church’s statement of faith and doctrine interferes with your freedom to worship.

Remain True - Hebrews 3:1-15

Here is the third chapter in a nutshell. The writer asked us how we organize our lives to put first things first, and how we show that we know who is in charge of our lives and the events of the world—history of the past—and events of the future. Then he answers by saying that we give top attention to Jesus Christ; and then place everything else under that priority. The third chapter tells us that Jesus is superior to Moses because Jesus served as a son over God’s house; while Moses was a servant in God’s house [Heb. 3:1-6]. Paul tells us that a son with authority is more significant than a servant without authority—therefore rejecting Jesus is more serious than rejecting Moses [Hebrews 3: 7-19]. Then Paul used an example that the Hebrew people would understand because of their past history. He said that the generation of Israelites who wandered in the wilderness had rejected God’s commands and then paid a stiff price for their rejection. Then he reminds all of us that the sons of Christ should not repeat their mistake. Now, the following is a more detailed verse by verse explanation of the third chapter.

The first verse in our lesson today begins with the word “Therefore” which means—for that reason or because of that—and it refers you back to what you have learned in the first two chapters. We learned that Jesus is our High Priest and that when we accept him as savior we become brothers to him and that is why he calls us “Holy brothers” are the redeemed Hebrews [and Christians] that now share in the heavenly calling because [as has already explained] they are now the ‘sons’ of God and that makes them a brother to Christ who is also God’s Son. Paul tells them that they must now fix their thoughts on Jesus—that is, they are to look to Jesus as their new high priest. Why? Because, for them, while they were under the old covenant, the highest authority was the high priest, the only one authorized to go behind the vale into the Holy of Holies and offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people. And now under the new covenant… the “Apostle and High Priest whom we confess as Jesus Christ. Jesus is referred to as an apostle because He was the one sent…an advocate sent to intercede for the people.

Verse two says that Jesus was faithful to the one who appointed him to be our intercessor or advocate…He was faithful to God, the Father who appointed him…in the same way that Moses surrendered to the call of God to lead the people out of their bondage in Egypt and was faithful to God’s house. In the first two chapters Jesus was found to be greater or superior to angels…in the third verse Paul says that Jesus has been found worthy of even greater honor than Moses who was faithful in God’s house—“Just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.” [Note: We are the house and Christ built us—the true church.]

Paul uses these different picture words to explain the relationship we have with Jesus. 1] He is the apostle…one sent from God, to who we should listen. 2] He is our High Priest through whom we go to God. 3] He is the ruler over God’s house and we must obey him. Moses was a hero to the Hebrews ancestors; he led them out of Egyptian bondage. He had also written the first five books of the OT, and was the one through whom God had given his law to his people—the Israelites. Moses was a mere man as we are but Jesus is the I Am, was and will always be God. Moses led people out of bondage for a time; but Christ leads man out of the bondage of sin for ever.

The 4th verse says a house is built by someone…But God is the builder of everything. Then the next two verses explains that Christ is over God’s house and that we, all Christians, are his house. He is using the word ‘house’ because it is the antitype of the tabernacle—or true church—the one and only church that is made up of every converted person from the beginning of time to the end time…when Christ will return to claim it for his own. This is the house that Jesus is building—BC people look forward to his coming and AD converts look back to Christ on the cross. Moses was a servant of the house…Christ is the Son over the house. In Ephesians Paul had written that Christ was the head over all things and then to show this same connection he wrote…”Whose house are we” or whose house we are. He said “Ye are God’s building” and “Ye are the temple of God”—and that refers to the spiritual house which Christ built.

There are many places in the scriptures where we are warned not to harden our hearts and now again here he warns the Hebrews not to harden their hearts as the Jews did during the rebellion when they decided to build the golden calf and worship the idol instead of the God Moses told them about. There were other times while they spent forty years in the desert where they tested and tried God. It cost them forty years and none of the original rebellious ones were allowed to enter the Promised Land—this thought is in verses 7-11. The Hebrews should not make this mistake again and the Faith Builders Class in Heber Springs must make the mistake the first time.

To just be a member of the house [church] depends on the individual’s own heart…the church can not judge you…you are accepted as a member based on your credible profession of Christ as Lord. Other members are not to judge…they may not know for sure…but Christ knows your heart and can judge therefore it is important that you harden not your heart…Christ will know!

There are some who are weak and therefore they have doubts as to their status in God’s sight. I sincerely hope that I am the only one in this class that has ever had doubts about our standing in God’s sight, but somehow I fear that I am not the only one. One thing is sure; our status does not depend upon what we think…neither your doubts nor your confidence makes any difference in your standing. The church at Laodicea had no doubts…they did not have a sense of need. They had reached a position of comfort and ease and did not realize that God had found them lacking and would spew them out of his mouth. The more we study God’s word and believe what it says about being secure in Christ, the less doubts will enter our minds. The plan of salvation is so simple it causes some to have doubts. Growing faith removes the doubts. Read your Bible…learn what it says and believe it is true—then stand firm and confident. “Standing! Standing! I am standing on the promises of God.”

The following part of this commentary is more of a summary and conclusion of the third chapter. The author of Hebrews wrote this chapter to warn professing believers [both the Hebrews and Christians of all remaining time] who did not have their priorities straight. Having made a commitment to Christ, the Hebrews were considering returning to the empty rituals of Judaism under the old law. They knew more about Moses and thought highly of him as the founding father of Judaism…but Jesus Christ was and always will be superior to Moses.

The chapter tells us that Jesus’ son ship shows his superiority to Moses and reminds us that rejecting him has more serious consequences than rejecting Moses. Their rejection of Moses cost one complete generation forty years of wandering and barred their access to their Promised Land. The rejections of Christ will cause all future generations to wander in this world wilderness of sin, and will bar all rejecters from their Promised Land…Heaven.

There is a first and only in this chapter. This is the first time that the word apostle is applied to Christ—and this is the only time anywhere in the Bible that calls Christ an apostle. Most New Testament references to the word apostle apply to people called of God to proclaim the gospel with special authority. Christ fits this description very well.

Introduction to Hebrews

Has your Christian journey ever led you to face frustrations, obstacles and temptations along the way? If your answer is positive, these things probably happened right after you were converted to the Christian religion. You may have belonged to another faith or order; or, as most of us, you may have been considered as just ‘good-ole-boy’ but still a sinner. Regardless of your situation in life, conversion and dedication to Christ is accompanied by some necessary changes in your life that will cause you to be frustrated and even tempted sometimes to just give up and quit. This letter to the Hebrews was written to the Jewish people, sometimes called Israelites that had recently given up the Jewish faith and practice and joined the new Christian movement.

This letter to the Hebrews does not record who the author is and there is no true consensus of opinion. Those mentioned by most guessers say it was Paul, Barnabas, Luke or Apollos. The timing is right for any of these because there are events in the letter that dates it as having been written sometime after AD 60 and the destruction of the temple by the Romans in AD 70. Acts records a rapid growth of the church during the period following the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and the destruction of the temple by the Romans. The number of Hebrews that joined the new movement of grace and faith expanded rapidly as did the number of Gentiles that were being converted.

The newly converted Jews had the same problems as you and I have had, only worse. They soon became frustrated from the pressures put on them by the orthodox Jews that increased their hatred toward the Gentiles. They truly believed in Christ and they wanted be known as Christians but wanted to hold on to some of their old ways of worship. I don’t know about you [readers of this paper] but I have never before understood how or why there was hatred in the heart of the orthodox Jew against the followers of Christ. It is still hard to understand—but we see and hear every day about the Moslem leaders teaching their followers to hate and kill especially the American infidels…US…Christians.

Hebrews sounded a needed warning to these early Jewish believers who were originally called Hebrews before they were called Israelites. So much pressure and persecution was vented toward them that they were living under a hardship, and they were being tempted to revert back to their Old Testament way of life. The Church was still in its infancy, struggling to grow and could not afford to loose the Jewish converts back to the old way. It is evident that the author of Hebrews loved the Jewish nation and wanted them converted to live under the new convent. It is evident that the author was a Born Again Christian that was holding solid to his new freedom and faith in Christ. Thirdly, it is evident that the author knew about the struggles of the new Jewish Christians and wanted to help them to maintain their faith in Christ. Now, how can this book help us as we study the truths recorded here? We must only realize and admit that we have our struggles along life’s path way—and we must learn from Hebrews that the answers to our problems always are found in Christ and his grace as long as we are willing to believe. Have faith in God!

After looking at several commentaries, it had become evident that the general consensus of opinion that the time, place and author of Hebrews were unknown, I then read from “An Interpretation of the English Bible” by Dr. B. H. Carroll—and here is what he wrote about the book of Hebrews. “Having examined many authorities and studied thousands of pages of controversy on this subject, the author thoroughly settled in his mind that Paul, and no other, is the author of the letter to the Hebrews; that it concludes the group of letters written during the first Roman imprisonment, following Ephesians, elaborating the doctrines set forth in the preceding letters against Gnosticism, properly introducing the pastoral letters, and that it was addressed to the Jews of Asia Minor and Greece.” The reasons he gives for his position are convincing to me and I now believe that he is right.

Dr. Carroll agrees with what I have already stated about the purpose or theme of this book. It was written to converted Jews that were being tempted to return to the old covenant… and the main argument is that the new covenant is infinitely superior to the old covenant. The relationship of Christianity to Judaism was a critical issue in the early days of the church. I can agree that Hebrews was written to a specific group of Jews that were having trouble at that specific time; but it is important for us to remember that all of the scripture was written for man in general and that there are no divisions acceptable to Christ. Color, nationality, nor status has anything to do with the application of the bible and that includes Hebrews.

Hardly a day passes that I do not think of what is said in the first few verses of Hebrews. This writer is talking to me and you and he is telling us that we must understand that God will not communicate with us through prophets or directly with individuals as he did with Joseph. But God sent his Son…Jesus Christ—The Word and He instructs us personally as He [The Holy Spirit] guides and directs our paths.

HEBREWS 1:1 to 2:4

It is so seldom that we have as few as two chapters to cover in a single lesson that my first suggestion is that we take advantage of this one and read the first two chapters of Hebrews. When you have completed the reading, now take time and think back over the Jewish system of thought regarding who they were and what they needed to do to maintain their special status in God’s sight. There were originally twelve tribes that were in Egypt and there was already some friction among them before Moses led them out. They were barely out the gate and on their way before some of the more hostile tribes started trying to cause friction…no food, no water, we were better off back there in Egyptian slavery. God sent manna and fresh quail daily.

Moses went up the mountain to receive a word from God, came down with the Ten Commandments [the foundation of all Mosaic Law] and found that certain tribes had convinced the people that he was dead, and had already converted back to idol worship. For forty years they wandered about never finding complete unity under the commandments of God and the Mosaic Law, with the help of the Priest and Prophets guiding them in the way of the Lord. Time moves on through the age of the Judges and the Kings and God was true to his people and kept the original covenant, and sent the prophets to tell them about the Messiah that would come and bring a new covenant. When Jesus was born and for the next thirty years His people rejected him—however a few [always a remnant] believed. They came under hard times and had begun to fall away from their new covenant of grace and faith.

The book of Hebrews describes in detail how Jesus Christ fulfilled the promises of the prophecies of the OT and it explains to those who were beginning to doubt—that the new covenant with Christ at the head of the church was a much better than anything offered by the old Jewish system of thought. The Jews accepted the OT, but most of them rejected Jesus—because they just did not believe the long-awaited messiah would live, look, rule and reign in the manner Christ did.

The first chapter is deep and interesting as the writer explains how God has always communicated with his people through his spokesmen and in many different ways. He spoke to Isaiah through visions—chapter 6; to Jacob in a dream—Gen. 28; and to Abraham and Moses he spoke personally—Genesis 28 and Exodus 31…but now that Christ has come and lived among men, he brought God’s message, God now speaks through Christ, His Son, who other writers declare to be the Word.
The writer [whom I believe to be Paul] tells these distressed Hebrews that Jesus is the exact representative of God. The Lord had told them that if they had seen Him they had seen God. This new Messiah is the same God that spoke to the Hebrews in OT times. He is eternal. He worked with his Father God during creation—John 1: 3 and Colossians 1:16. Oh, how I wish the camera had been invented by the early Jews. At least, I think I would like to see an actual photograph of Jesus Christ. The bible says that we can have no better picture of God than the one we get when we look at Christ. A lot of people did see Jesus and they furnished us with verbal descriptions that helps each person see Him as their heart dictates that they should. In my minds eye, I see my savior as the most handsome of all men. Any person that loves others, cares, forgives, heals, gives life, and is always positive, always right, and happy, would make a great subject to photograph. He is our clear expression of God in a human body.

Hebrews links the saving power of God with his creative power. His power has no limits; He used his supernatural power to create the world and all therein—and he uses that same power to remove our sins—He actually provides purification for the sin; and that sin does not continue to exist. It is sad that some people have such a small vision of God’s power. Some will say, “I have sinned too much, He could not possibly forgive me of all my sins.” One should never place a limitation on God. He can and will do what he has promised. In the third verse the book says that He sat down, and I think that simply means that he did what he had to do to purify sin and when the job was done he went back to heaven and sat down on the right hand of his Father where he now intercedes for us. Ok, get specific—in v. 3, how did he provide purification for sin? He was perfect and without any sin, and he was nailed to the cross where he bled and died. His pure blood paid the redemptive price for our sins; and when that entire event was over…he said it is finished…the plan of salvation was complete.

Hebrews believed in angels, as rightly they should. However, they needed to know that Jesus Christ is the SON OF GOD, and that no angel had ever deserved to wear His name. This new Messiah was higher than the angels. They are reminded that God has never talked so intimately about any angel. He has never called one his son. The Hebrews are reminded that when Christ was born the angels were commanded to worship Him…that alone sets him on a higher plane than angels. Lastly in verse 14 the word tells us what angels are and what their work is to be. Angels are ministering spirits—sent out by God—to work for and protect his children.
Some are invisible, like the one that causes a driver who has dozed off…to awaken just in time. Some are living bodies, like the nurse that discovered a cancerous appendix that the surgeon had overlooked while doing a different procedure.
The title to our lesson today is and is found in the first verse of chapter two. After thirty-four years in education I can tell you that many children tagged as ‘slow learners’ do not have a learning problem. They like to talk more than they are willing to listen. They either can not or will not pay careful attention—and let their mind wonder off on too many rabbit trails. The Hebrews are warned that they must pay attention to the teachings under the new covenant or they are likely to drift back into their old inadequate way. Paying attention is hard work because it requires great self control over mind, body and senses. Then finally, it does no good to pay attention unless you are willing to use what you learn to improve your status in life or position in Christ. So, paying attention is hard enough and very few are able to master the ability to listen, but to listen, pay attention, learn and know does little good if it is not put into practice.

The messages by angels in verse two refers to teaching that angles had brought the law of God to Moses [see Galatians 3:19]. The point being made here is that Christ is greater than any of the other ways used to get to God. The emphasis is greater when the writer indicates that if we ignore the plan of salvation planned and purchased for us—there is no other way of escape from eternal punishment.

Angels can deliver a message, but we are much more likely to get the message and understand it if it comes from the mouth of Christ. He was the first to announce salvation by grace through faith. What sealed this as truth…a true testimony…was when literally hundreds of people that saw and heard him have personally attested to the true story. Finely you should realize that the Jews have always believed in and trusted God. They have not always been obedient but still believed in one God. Now, in verse 4, they are reminded that this same God that they believe in has also attested to the truth of Christ. How has God testified? By signs, wonders, various miracles, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

How Can I Handle Life's Uncertainities? - Ecclesiastes 9-12

It is doubtful that any one that reads this commentary has ever stopped long enough and tried successfully to analyze many of the profound statements found in Ecclesiastes. Solomon says that there is nothing new under the sun. That means that God was—and He took nothing and made everything that is. Genesis says that it took Him six days to finish the job and on the seventh day He rested. This means that there is absolutely nothing in existence today that was not created by God in those six days—and there will never be anything else [not even a tiny atom or molecule—not even one more hair] will ever be created. On the day God created man, only one was up and walking around—but the bible says that on that day, God created every person that will ever be born on this earth or anywhere else.

If God prolongs the existence of man on earth, every one of us will have hundreds of great, great grand sons; also hundreds of great, great, great, grand daughters—there could be at least a hundred or a thousand more generations being born each year. On the day of creation each and every one of us and those to come were created by God. The bible tells us that He knew us before we were conceived and even knew the number of hairs that would be on each head. How is this possible? Science has proven that the human body is made up of a combination elements and minerals that are known to exist on earth. God created the materials that we are made of in one day.

Through Solomon’s wisdom we have learned that nothing on earth remains the same. Water changes to vapor that rises and turns into the rain that falls—that is frozen into ice that is eaten and changes into water and the cycle continues. There will never be one more drop of water than that which exists today. God created the earth of rocks, minerals, soil; everything that can be isolated and named. Then he took a portion of the dust of the earth and created man. Man lives four score and ten years and returns to the earth from whence he came. Then God’s plan for the life cycle will start over in a new generation. Through this process the one thing that is certain is that all physical matter changes and man has no control over the life cycle process that God made.

The next step in thinking through the existence of man is that we must realize that we are not one man but two; the physical as discussed above, and spiritual man which is that part of us that was created in the image of God—who is spirit. We have no control over the physical development; God decided where, when, and how we would be born. He decided what elements we would be made of and ordered their arrangement so there are no two individuals that are alike. When he breathed into man the breath of life our spirit—our soul—was given the power of choice and therefore we are responsible for the decisions we make, even as to where we will spend eternity.

This train of thought turns to things that Solomon taught us in his wisdom—which was from God. He warns us that this life is filled with the uncertainties of both time and events. Since the spirit man will be the one to decide how to handle the uncertainties of life he tells us that it is impossible for us to be successful on our own; it is absolutely necessary for our spirit to trust the spirit and power found only in God.

Football season is here—practice started a week ago. There are many uncertainties that lie ahead for all teams that will play. The Hogs played the number one team in the nation last year and lost. We will play them again this year and the outcome right now is uncertain; however, if we can beat number one, it will be a winning season for some. This uncertainty would turn into one of joy and revenge and bring satisfaction to many. This uncertainty will make it an entertaining game to watch. This is not so in our every day life—because many of our uncertainties in life are not fun and games…in fact to most of us uncertainy is frightening.

It is a fact [certain] that Arkansas had the outstanding freshman running back last year and everyone was looking forward to his second year as he would help bring more victories. He made a bad mistake. He forgot [if he ever knew] that God is in control of our lives and that he must depend upon God to guide him through his second year on the field. At four o’clock in the morning—in the parking lot in front of a questionable night club in a questionable neighborhood of Little Rock [anyone with wisdom would not have been where he was] he became involved in an altercation that may prevent him from ever being the great player he could have been. Even if he completely recovers, he has this uncertainty that he must live with for some time to come.

Beginning in chapter nine Solomon starts addressing the end of life and what we must do to prepare. He reminds us that the rich suffer and die as well as the poor, therefore it is not what we do or what we accomplish in this life that really matters—what matters is that we live each day realizing that we are in God’s hands and He will be the final judge. His main idea is that this life is full of uncertainties and that makes it absolutely necessary for us to trust in a sovereign and wise God—in fact it is the only reasonable option that we have. To do less is to practice the fool. We do not have a clue regarding what the future holds. We know that all suffer, fail, and finally die, and if that completely occupies our minds we will be of all people most miserable. We must be thankful and praise God for our good times and enjoy them with meekness. We must be thankful and praise God for our bad times because of the good that we know will come as a result. Remember that God is God of the bad times just as he is the good, and Paul promised us in Romans 8:28 that even our worst days will work to bring us good. You must read it and believe it—have faith; have faith in God, He is on his throne.

Those that won’t work should not eat. To be lazy is sin. However, it is also irrational to be a workaholic to the point that we let our family relationships break down. It takes time to practice verse nine, but it can not be neglected. We can not neglect our responsibilities simply because we consider the world’s value system as being unfair. It is unfair. Just remember the world’s value system is an object of how sinful men think and act toward each other. God did not create this imperfect system. It has come from evil minds of men—the only part God had in it was that he gave us freedom of choice—we can have a ‘do right’ value system, or an unfair one; it is our choice.

The teacher reminds us that quiet words of a wise person are better than the boisterous shouting of politicians who are calling for attention to themselves. Briefly his quiet words of wisdom in chapter nine tells us to use our time wisely because we do not know when the end will come. We must live to please God and not for the world’s applause.

When you read chapter ten you will see that it is filled with examples of how to live the foolish life. Some of these may—at first—seem so minor and insignificant; but we must know and remember that sometimes it is the little things that cause our final downfall. We should never despise the little duties we are assigned, because the benefits can sometimes be great. Even the words we speak are important to God and he says that we will give an account for any foolish words we say. If you look at the different levels of people the teacher mentions you will see that foolishness is on display at all levels of society—even kings and rulers talk and act foolishly. You get the impression from this lesson that it is much more profitable for us to work smarter than it is to work harder—wisdom is highly emphasized—and the wisest man on earth should know. A first and a big part of working smarter is making proper preparation before you start a job. I knew two brothers in the late 1930’s that farmed together. They were asked why they were returning from the field immediately after going to work. They said they had to return to get their plow. A carpenter would never go to a newly poured foundation to build a house without his hammer and saw and needed materials with which to build. Proper preparation brings better results.

Solomon says that your tongue will give you away. Talk seems cheap but it can become costly. The NT says that it is poisonous like an adder. It is easy to downplay the importance of little things—small tasks—but they can determine the course of a man’s life. My dad taught me to take care of my pennies and then the dollars would take care of themselves. Don’t waste the little things that enter your life; they can accumulate into bigger assets.

Two things are said to be certain in life—death and taxes, but I say that the two certainties in life is that we must die and we must live until we die. We have nothing to say about death, but we totally control our life from now until our time comes to meet God. Thinking and talking about death may seem morbid but Solomon says they produce wise living. To live wisely is to make preparation for the day when life is no more. Were the young men from Conway living wisely when they entered a restricted area on the bluff near the dam site at a forbidden time of night? Solomon would probably say that the one that drowned was a good man, very knowledgeable but he lacked wisdom. The last part of chapter eleven is instructions to young people. He makes the point that young people should enjoy their youthful season of life—but they must never forget that everything they think and do will be judged by God.

As you finish chapter twelve you will find a graphic description of the aging process that should humble and sober all of us into loving, and enjoying life on earth while we keep God and the end time in the cross hairs of our scope sight. If you are young, enjoy your younger years because there are great advantages in being young. If you are in your older years, use this time to allow God to reveal his purposes for your latter days. You are not a thing that happened. God gave you life for a purpose, and the most important task in your life is for you to find that purpose and get in it.