Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Hebrews 9

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. Hebrews 9:15

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 9:11-22, specifically looking at the third division covering 9:15, which the commentary entitles "The Superiority of Christ as Mediator of the New Covenant." Here with the focus being a singular verse - v15 - the key takeaway is this: while Christ is referred to as a mediator, the commentary makes it clear that there is no compromise or common ground as one would typically expect during mediation.  The commentary shares: "[f]ar from suggesting a compromise between two opposing positions, Christ agrees with the Father that we deserve the infinite outpouring of his wrath. He agrees with the Father about the ugliness of our sin. He agrees with the Father about the necessity of a sacrifice. And as our mediator, he agrees to be that sacrifice even as the Father sends him for that task....[Christ] mediated a better covenant and offered up a better sacrifice, one that was efficient to redeem people from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. In doing so, Christ secured an eternal inheritance for those who are called." Praise God!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who became the perfect sacrifice - taking my place for my sin...thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such grace and a gift - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Hebrews 9

 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Hebrews 9:13-14

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 9:11-22, specifically looking at the second division covering 9:13-14, which the commentary entitles "The Superiority of Christ to the Levitical Sacrifices." Here, the text and the associated commentary make clear a stark contrast in what the Old Testament ritual sacrifices were able to do, versus what Jesus did (and still does) for us through His shed blood on the cross.  While the Old Testament sacrifices cleansed the people - they did so only externally, and such sacrifices need to be repeated annually (well, really almost immediately!).  In contrast, the commentary shares that "Christ’s sacrifice of himself internally cleanses those for whom he died. He purifies our consciences....Hebrews remarkably captures the balance of the Christian life. Redeemed people serve God and find fulfillment and joy in doing the very things that we did out of obligation and frantic determination to try to justify ourselves before Christ came. The completed work of Christ rescues us from this foolish attempt and saves us from dead works." Praise God for what He is able to do for us!  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who cleanses my conscience and gives from freedom from the sting of sin and death - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings - my sin continues to be great.  Please forgive my sin and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.   

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9

 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:11-12

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 9:11-22, specifically on the text of 9:11-12, leaning on my commentary for its observations on both the entirety of 9:11-22, as well as for the first division covering 9:11-12, which the commentary entitles "The Superiority of Christ to the Levitical Priests".  The commentary, in its observations of the entirety of v9:11-22, shares how the author of Hebrews uses chapter 9-10 to summarize all that has gone before in terms of the role of the Old Testament high priest and the sacrificial system.  In 9:11-12, the author of Hebrews highlights the superiority of Christ to the Levitical priests.  Christ accomplished what the Old Testament priests could not. The commentary shares how Christ's death on the cross "emphasizes the completeness and eternality of Christ’s sacrifice as opposed to the repetitive sacrifices of the Levites....Christ only offered up one [sacrifice]. In doing so, he secured an eternal redemption for us and demonstrated the sufficiency of his atonement for those who obey him. This eternal security and sufficiency grounds our confidence in Christ and the author’s exhortation to endure. Once we are redeemed, we cannot be lost. Jesus’s atonement was once for all time, accepted unconditionally by the Father, and presented in the heavenly sanctuary." 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who took my place on the cross, and did what the Old Testament priests could not.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of what You have done for me - and continue to do.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

...[H]ow much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Hebrews 9

 ...[H]ow much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Hebrews 9:14

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 9:11-22, and my initial unaided observations of this text. Here, the text pivots from what the first covenant, the high priest, the earthly tabernacle, and the Old Testament sacrificial system cannot do, to what Jesus did through the shedding of His blood.  Instead of entering the earthly tabernacle, Christ entered "through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)" (v11), and He made the once and final sacrifice for all of humanity that redeemed sinners (v12).  He also cleansed believers not just externally, but internally by working in our hearts (v14).  V15-22 then goes on to describe how Jesus is the "mediator of a new covenant," and how believers "receive the promised eternal inheritance."  This inheritance is passed because of the will of Jesus and the will goes into effect by the shedding of His blood and His death. Praise God for this new and greater covenant where we have forgiveness of sin and the promised eternal inheritance!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who shed His blood and died for me, and gave me an forgiveness of sin and an eternal inheritance - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of these blessings...my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age).

Hebrews 9

By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age). Hebrews 9:8-9

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 9:1-10, specifically on the text of 9:6-10, leaning on my commentary for its observations on the second division entitled "The End of Mediated Access to God".  Here, my commentary focuses on how the work of the high priest during the period of the First Covenant to atone for sins of the people was incomplete - it needed ongoing repetition - every year on the Day of Atonement. As a starting point, the commentary describes the pervasive nature of humanity's sinful nature, including sins of commission (intentionally doing wrong), omission (not doing what God seeks for us to do), and "sins committed in ignorance or unintentionally."  The commentary then points to how in v8-9 the Holy Spirit was pointing to a new way that allowed direct access to God, not relying on a mediator.  It shares: "the Holy Spirit was indicating something through the architecture of the tabernacle: even he was crying out for the day when the final sacrifice would come. As long as there was a curtain between the holy place and the most holy place, the people were not fully in the presence of God. They could not draw near to God with confidence. Thus, the veil between the most holy place and the holy place indicated incompleteness and an inability to approach God." Of course, when Jesus declared that "it is finished" (John 19:30) on the cross, believers in Him, could access God directly as Jesus became the once and for all, final sacrifice for the sins of the people, eliminating the need for repetitive sacrifices tearing down the veil that separated the people from God.  The commentary wraps by describing how Christ's sacrifice on the cross also did something else critical for us: it provided a means for not just ritual and external cleansing of sin, but it provided inner cleansing by giving us God in our hearts.  Praise God!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the work You did on the cross, giving me access to You directly and for working in my heart!  I am grateful!  But I also know that I am undeserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness.

Hebrews 9

 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. Hebrews 9:1

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 9:1-10, specifically on the text of 9:1-5, leaning on my commentary for its observations on the first division entitled "The New Covenant Worship of God Foreshadowed".  The commentary first emphasizes human nature and how people tend to place faith and trust in what they can physically see and touch; this emphasis is important context to appreciate how the original readers of Hebrews may have felt about the rituals of worship, including the tent of worship (tabernacle), the sections of the tabernacle, how worship was to be carried out, etc. as observed in the Old Testament - see also Exodus 25-30. The commentary shares: "[t]he Jewish Christians to whom the author was writing would have understood the holy place and the most holy place to be inextricably linked to the way God met with his people."  At the same time, the author of Hebrews sought to encourage the believers reading the original letter to see Jesus Christ as "[t]he epicenter of new covenant worship[... it] is not in a place, it’s in a person[.]" While the author of Hebrews does seek to encourage Jewish believers to see Jesus and worship of Him as superior, it is worth noting that the author "doesn’t degrade these representative objects of the old covenant. He dignifies them and shows how their placement in the tabernacle demonstrated deeper realities."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and You dwell within me, allowing me to worship - not in a place but anywhere.  You also allow me to access the Father directly without need of a priest - I can go directly to You to intercede for me.  Thank You Jesus for these blessings!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great, and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

Hebrews 9

 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. Hebrews 9:8-10

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 9:1-10, and my initial unaided observations of this text.  Here, the text explores how the Levitical priests, first the priest, then the high priest, enter the tent of worship, including the inner section - referred to as the Most Holy Place (v3). The area of question - struggle - for me this morning is v8-10.  These verses describe how "the way into the holy places is not opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age)," and this implies how the first covenant and the sacrificial system as outlined in Leviticus remained in place until Jesus death on the cross resulted in a tearing down of this system, allowing direct access to the Most Holy Place or direct access to God for those who believe in Him (see also this post on DesiringGod.com).

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for what You have done to give me access directly to You, what an amazing gift and of course I am not deserving of such an act of amazing grace.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.