Live the Word Bible Studies

Hebrews Study 12: 13:6-25

Dear Student of the Word,

Well, here it is - the final installment of our Hebrews study. Having worked through this letter again, I have gained a new appreciation for the writer and his intent, which was to urge believing Jews who were wavering in their faith not to return to Judaism. The message to them is the same to us today and that is that Christ is supreme and no other doctrine, movement, religion or person can supplant Him as Lord of all. In a few weeks, we will take another look at the book of Luke, but for now, here is what I wrote this week in the first day of this seven-day study from Hebrews 13:

Study Twelve, Day One

6 So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"  7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

13:6 – This verse could have been the motto and the summary for Jesus and His earthly ministry. He completely and totally entrusted Himself to God. On many occasions, He made men angry and they threatened Him repeatedly. Eventually they killed Him. Prior to that happening, Jesus had warned His followers:

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matt 10:28-31).

What can man do to you?  He can reject, criticize, impoverish, torture and even take your life. That is about it. And in the midst of it all, God can help, save and preserve you.  Daniel’s friends knew all this when the king threatened them and then threw them into a red-hot furnace when they refused to bow down to him:

Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Dan 3:13-18). 

You have to admire the attitude they had. They said that God can deliver them, but they knew He may not. That fact did not shake their faith or cause them to waver in their commitment.  Does that same knowledge give you the same resolve as they had – that God can but may not deliver you from trouble?

13:7&8 – It seems that the writer was not referring to readers’ current spiritual leaders, but those who had given their lives to follow Jesus before the letter was written. Those would have been James the brother of John, Stephen the first martyr and unnamed others who had done the act to which the writer was referring: They did not fear what man could do to them and paid for it with their lives. Remember, the writer’s target audience was Christian Jews who were wavering in their faith. James and Stephen would definitely have made an impression on those Jewish believers and would fit into the overall context here.   Who are your spiritual heroes of the past that still speak to you?  Honor their memory by doing what they did. 

The writer pointed out that Jesus is the same, the results of faith in Him are the same, and the benefits to His followers who obey Him are the same yesterday, today and forever.  Isn’t it good to know we follow Jesus who never has a bad day, a bad mood, or a “shadow of turning”?  He is consistent and now the challenge is for you to be consistent in following Him, just as those of old were.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled What Would Jesus Ask You Today? Thank you and I hope you enojoyed this study of Hebrews from God's word (the previous installments of the Hebrews study can be found online at my Bible study site.

Download Hebrews Study 12

Hebrews Study 11: 12:14-13:5

Dear Student of the Word,

I got back from Africa a few days ago, and it's already time for your next installment of our online studies. I had mentioned in the last study that this would be the last part from Hebrews, but I was mistaken. There will be one more and then we will move on to Luke. Also, I have begun the arduous process of editing every one of these studies for publication! That is a massive task, but God is up to it I am sure. If you would like to contribute toward this project or fund the publishing costs, please get in touch with me or contribute through my website. Here is what I wrote in the seventh segment of this seven-part installment:

Part Eleven, Day Seven

4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."  

13:4 – This seems so straightforward, but marriage today is under attack like never before. Same-sex unions, the ease of divorce, the acceptance of cohabitation, Internet pornography, and materialism all work to dishonor and discredit traditional, biblical marriage.  The truth is that God has judged and will judge adulterers and fornicators.  But the lax, permissive moral state of modern society makes even that statement of judgment sound so harsh. 

Yet God’s forgiveness extends to the sexually impure, and in today’s culture it’s hard to find someone who isn’t tainted by this plague. So the Church needs to maintain this standard of purity, while extending grace and forgiveness to all who fall short.

13:5 – You may be going through rough economic times, just as some of the original readers were. Some of their hardships were due to their faith in Christ. It is so easy for money and our “stuff” to get a hold of us, especially with materialism and greed being so prevalent today. Are you free from the love of money and possessions?  When I started my business many years ago, I had to face the hold money had on me. I “panicked” when I didn’t have enough of a cushion in my bank account or a few dollars in my pocket. I had to face the fact that I derived a great amount of security from money and not God. 

It also takes work to be content with what you have.  Once again, I am guilty of seeing what others have and wanting that.  I am working at being content with what I have instead of pining away for what I don’t have.  It isn’t always easy. Are you struggling with the same problem?

But in the context of this issue of money and possessions, the writer quoted a promise that is seen two other times in the Bible. The Lord promised Joshua (see Joshua 1:5) and Solomon (see 1 Chronicles 28:20) that He would never leave them, and He makes the same promise to us in this verse. If you don’t have money or possessions, you have something far greater—God Himself! 

How long is “never”?  It is a long time! The Lord has promised that He will always be with you, never forsaking you. That is powerful. In these last few years since I started my ministry, I may not always have had money, but I have found something much better—I have found God!  God is so faithful, but we are sometimes reminded of that only in hard times. 

Brother or sister, do you know that God will never leave you?  Can you comprehend the wonderful truth and good news that He will never forsake you?  Money will come and go, possessions will wear out, success may visit and depart. Through it all, however, Jesus has said He will never, ever forsake you. And if Jesus says “never,” that means “never.”  End of discussion. Amen.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled What Would Jesus Ask You Today? Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Hebrews from God's word.

Download Hebrews Study 11

Hebrew Study 10: 11:32-12:13

Dear Student of the Word,

I am in an airport lounge getting ready to go to Kenya, so I had some time to prepare this next to the last installment of our study in Hebrews (before we move on to Luke). In this tenth study, we take a look at the remainder of Hebrews 11, the chapter on faith. Every installment is divided into seven segments and I wrote this in the seventh segment (the entire study can be downloaded below):

Part Ten, Day Seven

10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

12:10 – The goal of God’s discipline for you is for you to share in His holiness. God knows what He is doing and disciplines you with perfection. At times, it may not seem like there is a reason for what is happening in your life. That is where faith comes in, for you can be certain that there is – a reason that is based in love and God’s perfect justice.

One thing you will never hear God say is “I’m sorry!” He never apologizes for what He does or what He puts you through, for His ways are perfect – there is nothing to apologize about. You must be careful not to think or accuse God of being unjust or unloving. If He is, that would make you more righteous than God and that is not a possibility.

If you had a less than pleasant experiences with you earthly father, you must be careful not to project that bad experience onto God and His Fatherhood. Your earthly parents were and are imperfect, some painfully so, but you must now learn to trust you heavenly Father and His discipline in your life. Are you struggling with trusting God in the midst of your current struggles? Then tell Him and ask Him for grace, not to understand, but to release your perspective to Him and trust!

12:11 – Discipline is seldom enjoyable. I don’t think you have to enjoy the season of discipline you may be in. You accept it in faith, confess that the destination is worth the price you are paying and ask God’s grace to endure the season you are in. I am thinking of the verse in Thessalonians, which states:

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). 

Paul did not say to give thanks for all things, but in all things. Seasons of discipline are certainly times in which we give thanks, but not necessary for which we give thanks. Can you thank God now in the midst of what you are going through? Can you find other blessings on which to focus while certain other parts of your life seem to be spinning out of control or in ways not to your liking?

By the way, the word “trained” in this verse is the Greek word from which we get our word “gymnasium.” All of this talk on discipline has an athletic sense of training to it.  The athlete endures many hours of rigorous training for an athletic performance. It is the same for the believer.

11:12&13 – There is no room for self-pity in this spiritual “athletic” preparation. You cannot allow yourself the luxury of feeling sorry for yourself in what you are going through. The writer, who was addressing believing Jews who were undoubtedly enduring hardship for their faith, was telling these believers to strengthen themselves, to “get on with their lives,” so to speak. Are you wallowing in self-pity right now? Do you think you have earned the right to do so?

Paul warned us that there are many hardships that the Christian must endure:

 They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said (Acts 14:21-22). 

The news that there are many hardships may not encourage some people. You may encounter things in your walk with the Lord that cause you to stumble.  Even those who walked with Jesus heard Him say things that caused those people to withdraw (see John 6).  It is possible for your limbs to be out of joint as you walk out your faith. 

If you are discouraged or perhaps a bit disillusioned at this point in your walk with God, then these verses in chapter 12 are for you. You need to strengthen yourself and move on.  If you are limping, then get those joints back in place.  I know this may be easier said than done, and I certainly don’t know what you have been through.  God knows, however, and He will help you.  You must do your part and that is to choose to move on and get through this season of training and discipline. 

You may not know where all this is going, but you can take solace in the fact that if you endure, you will share in God’s holiness when all is said and done. May God strengthen you today and may you walk on with grace and peace.  Amen.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled What Would Jesus Ask You Today? Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Hebrews from God's word.

Download Hebrews Study 10

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KENYA UPDATE: I have two Kenya updates this week, and I still have an urgent need. The updates will tell you about the impact our container goods are making among our friends. I am in Kenya now and I know our ministry friends there are counting on our help when we come. There are needs in the orphanages, at our library and among the widows. You can give through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. If you give now, I can access it here and distribute face-to-face.

I still have a sense that someone out there reading this is considering a large gift to Kenya. If you are that person, I can only encourage you not to be afraid. Have faith, trust God and be obedient. I promise we will put it to good use.

NEW BOOKS: I released another new book two weeks ago, a devotional entitled A String of Pearls: Wisdom for Productive People. A few weeks ago, I released two other devotionals: A Daily Taste of Proverbs and earlier this year What Would Jesus Ask You Today?  All three of these books are available in Kindle or paper version and make great gifts for individuals or study guides for small groups. 

BASEBALL GAME: The annual fundraising baseball game at PNC Park to benefit Kenya widows and orphans will take place this year on Tuesday, August 19. For the mere price of $1,000, you will be treated to great food, wonderful fellowship and a great baseball game (we hope) between the Pirates and the Braves. Perhaps you can't attend but you can give so that someone can represent you that evening. Perhaps your organization can contribute and buy a ticket for someone. Contact me now to reserve your ticket(s) for the game. So far I have sold eight, so make sure you respond soon to be part of the big night.

Hebrews Study 9: 11:11-31

Dear Student of the Word,

Attached is our ninth installment in our study together of the letter to the Hebrews. There is no finer chaper in the Bible than Hebrews 11, which discusses faith and gives us examples of people who lived in faith and whom God endorsed personally! In this seven-part study, I wrote this in part seven:

Part Nine, Day Seven

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.  

11:29 – No one can imitate someone else’s faith. The Egyptians did not know God and tried to imitate the faith of the Jews. They were drowned in their own presumption.  It is one thing to be optimistic and confident, but if your confidence isn’t in God, then it is just an exercise in futility. When you are walking through dangerous territory, you had better base your confidence not on the words of your government, your church or your family.  You had better base your confidence on God’s word.

When I was in Afghanistan years ago, I experienced more pressure and spiritual warfare than usual, as would be expected. I had to know every day that I was hearing from God and putting my faith in what I thought He was saying to me. I really believe that my ability to do so saved my life; it wasn’t just a matter of convenience.

11:30 – How many times did Joshua and Israel walk around Jericho?  If you said seven times, you are incorrect! (see Joshua 6).  They walked around once a day for six days, then they walked around the city seven times on the seventh day. That makes 13 times!  What a “silly” strategy. Plus they weren’t permitted to talk to one another as they walked. Maybe that was so they would not discuss the foolishness of what they were doing and undermine one another’s faith. 

God can show you strategies of how your business can prosper, ministry can expand or opposition be defeated. First, however, you must have faith that He can and will do what He has promised. Then you must have faith to carry those strategies out, even when they seem crazy to you and to others. 

When I was a counselor, whenever I would meet with someone in my church, I would usually ask, “What is the Lord saying?”  I wanted to know what they thought they were sensing and hearing; then I based my counsel on what that. God is a great communicator.  He knows every language, can speak through circumstances, His word, other believers, non-believers and even a donkey!  What is “God saying” to you today?  Are you being faithful to what you think it is? May the walls of your Jericho come down as you carry out in faith the plans that God has laid before for you.

11:31 – How did Rahab know who the spies were?  (See Joshua 2 and 6). There was only one way—God “told” or revealed them to her. There are some that don’t think Rahab was a harlot, but rather an innkeeper. Whatever her occupation, God revealed His plan to her before she had a change of lifestyle or whas part of the covenant community. She put her trust in God and she and her whole family were saved. What’s more, Rahab became a part of Jesus’ family tree (See Matthew 1:5).  Thus she was a precursor of the faith that would be made available to the Gentiles in Christ. 

God delights in revealing Himself to people who don’t appear to be likely candidates for such a revelation. The Church has not always delighted, however, in this aspect of God’s character of mercy and grace. How do you feel when someone that you don’t think is worthy of God finds God?  I remember when I was doing a lot of prison ministry. I found myself ministering to a new convert who was in prison for murdering his parents in a drug-crazed frenzy. There he was, sitting at my feet, “clothed and in his right mind.”  I was angry that this man had found Jesus and I struggled ministering to him. Then I thought, “If Jesus doesn’t have a problem with this man, then I shouldn’t either.”

The Church sometimes gets angry when homosexuals, child abusers, prostitutes, persecutors, and drug dealers find Jesus.  The message of Rahab, however, is that God reveals Himself to whomever He chooses and doesn’t ask anyone’s permission to do so. 

Is there some unlikely candidate to whom God wants to reveal Himself today, using you in the process?  If so, will you cooperate or have a bad attitude?  I hope you will cooperate and spread the good news of Jesus to any and all. Remember, Jesus didn’t come for the well but for the sick and wants to make us outreach doctors in His image. I hope you will be up to the task.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled What Would Jesus Ask You Today? Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Hebrews from God's word.

Download Hebrews Study 9

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KENYA UPDATE: I have no Kenya update again this week, but I still have an urgent need. I am heading over to Kenya on July 31 and I know our ministry friends there are counting on our help when we come. There are needs in the orphanages, at our library and among the widows. Will you help me put together a financial blessing to take with me? You can give through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. 

I have a sense that someone out there reading this is considering a large gift to Kenya. If you are that person, I can only encourage you not to be afraid. Have faith, trust God and be obedient. I promise we will put it to good use.

NEW BOOKS: I released another new book this week, a devotional entitled A String of Pearls: Wisdom for Productive People. A few weeks ago, I released two other devotionals: A Daily Taste of Proverbs and earlier this year What Would Jesus Ask You Today?  All three of these books are available in Kindle or paper version and make great gifts for individuals or study guides for small groups. 

BASEBALL GAME: The annual fundraising baseball game at PNC Park to benefit Kenya widows and orphans will take place this year on Tuesday, August 19. For the mere price of $1,000, you will be treated to great food, wonderful fellowship and a great baseball game (we hope) between the Pirates and the Braves. Perhaps you can't attend but you can give so that someone can represent you that evening. Perhaps your organization can contribute and buy a ticket for someone. Contact me now to reserve your ticket(s) for the game. So far I have sold six, so make sure you respond soon to be part of the big night.

Hebrews Study 8: 10:24-11:10

Dear Student of the Word,

It's time for another installment from our study of the letter to the Hebrews. As I have pointed out in previous studies, the writer of Hebrews was appealing to believing Jews not to return to a Judaism without Christ, which some were obviously considering. The writer pointed out that they had no hope if they turned away from the only hope of salvation to return to rituals and traditions. In this eighth installment, I wrote in the second day of this seven-day study:

Part Eight, Day Two

28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people."   31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

10:28&29 – What strong language the writer used in this verse: “trampled the Son of God,” and “insulted the Spirit of grace”  It is possible to think that because God is invisible or because He is longsuffering that He cannot be insulted or grieved. But God is a being and can be angered, offended or insulted. It is important that we not interpret that capability according to our sinful, human tendencies. If God is angered or offended, it is not because He has any inherent weakness or insecurity. 

Remember that this letter to the Hebrews was written to those who were considering departing from the faith and returning to Judaism. To have done so would have insulted God and rejected His solution to mankind’s problem of sin. I do not want to ever insult God, do you? If your answer is ‘no,’ then make Jesus the only and main focal point of your life and walk with God.

10:30&31 – The writer quoted Deuteronomy 32:35-36 in these verses.  God will judge His people to preserve them from their and His enemies, and anyone who walked with Jesus and then would turn back will be judged as an enemy. I don’t want to ever meet God as my enemy. That would indeed be dreadful. The writer has turned from passionate pleading and biblical arguments to strong language to keep those considering returning to Judaism from doing so.

There are some who believe that this standard represents God’s harshness. Let’s say that you jump out a plane but if you are wearing a parachute, you have a great chance of landing safely. Assume for a moment that you refused to wear your parachute and still jumped. When you hit the ground, it will be bad for you, but let’s assume you survive. Do you have the right at that point to shake your fist in anger at God for being injured? Did not God provide the way out of your condition that was caused by your decision to jump from the plane, so to speak?

Those who reject Christ and then accuse God of being angry or narrow are doing the same thing as the person who jumps without the chute. They reject the simple answer to their sin dilemma but curse God that He has not provided another answer – the answer they want but not the one God wants and has provided in Christ.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled What Would Jesus Ask You Today? Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Hebrews from God's word.

Download Hebrews Study 8

Hebrews Study Seven: 9:25-10:23

Dear Student of the Word,

I have been working on the attached lesson for weeks, but just could not find the time to finish. Today I finally did and I was reminded again how much I enjoy preparing these studies and how much I enjoy the letter to the Hebrews. Today we enter into the part of the letter (which some believe is a transcribed spoken message) where the writer continued his passionate appeal to believing Jews who were considering going back to Judaism and its rituals not to do so. While looking at that and other issues, I wrote what's below in day six of this seven-day study:

Study Seven, Day Six

15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: 16 "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."   17 Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."   18 And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

10:15 – The writers of this letter had no problem recognizing that the Holy Spirit speaks to men. In this verse the writer stated, “First he says.”  The ‘he’ refers to the Spirit. I cannot quite understand the debate on whether or not the Bible is the inspired, inerrant word of God.  While we must acknowledge that there are probably some minor errors in the manuscripts that have been handed down to us for millennia, there can be no room for a believer to deny that the Scriptures are the work and word of God. The same God who inspired the Scriptures has preserved the Scriptures in the form that we have today.

A book entitled The Scripture Principle by Clark Pinnock includes more about the debate that has been going on between those who believe the Bible to be God’s word and those who believe it to be a book about God, but a collection of myths and human stories that only amount to interesting reading with limited instructive possibilities.

10:16 – The writer quoted Jeremiah 31:33-34 in this verse and acknowledged that the Holy Spirit was speaking to Jeremiah. This new covenant was not the idea of men but an institution from God.  No one, therefore, can change it. The new covenant transitioned from a covenant with external effects to one that worked on the internal or the heart. The old covenant could not change men’s hearts; it could only convince them that their heart needed help in order to serve God. 

10:17 – Some people agonize over their sins and whether or not they are truly forgiven.  But forgiveness of our sins isn’t based on anything any human can do (except ask for it). Forgiveness is part of the new covenant and the new promise of God.  Forgiveness of your sins is based on God’s promise, and doesn’t depend on the magnitude or quantity of your sins.

You can go to God for forgiveness and He will extend it because of His promise in the new covenant. Are you struggling whether or not you are forgiven?  Are you concerned that your sins are too grievous for God to forgive or forget?  Well, you can rest today, for God’s promise and His covenant to you is that He will remember your sins no more.  Ask for forgiveness and leave your sins with Him.  If He forgets them, why can’t you?  Are you holier or more righteous than God?

10:18 – Once God has forgotten your sin, you would do well not to mention it to Him again. There is no need to apply the sacrifice of Jesus to your sins any longer; once is enough. Not only was this a more righteous system in Christ than the Law provided, it was a more efficient system! Jesus paid the price once and for all so that our sins could be forgiven.

That is why sinful people felt so comfortable being with Him when He walked the earth.  Since He is the same today as He was then, sinners like you and me should feel just as comfortable. Remember what John wrote:

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives (1 John 1:5-10). 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished daily devotional entitled What Would Jesus Ask You Today? Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Hebrews from God's word.

Download Hebrews Study 7

Hebrews Study Six: 8:11-9:24

Dear Student of the Word,

This week I continue editing my study of Hebrews by sending you study six. It is remarkable to me that the writer of Hebrews was having to make such a passionate and complete case to convince believing Jews not to return to Judaism! Yet the pull of legalistic rituals and ethnic pride were powerful and believers who were looking for the 'good old days' of the Old Testament instead of faith in Christ. The writer saw this as an unacceptable option that would forfeit their eternal life in Christ! In this week's seven-day study, I wrote this on day five:

Part Six, Day Five

13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. 16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,

9:13&14 – The writer stated that first the blood of animals and then the blood of Jesus cleansed our conscience from acts that lead to death in order to serve God.  Here are some thoughts on our conscience:

1. It is a real component of every person and is proof to many of the existence of God; how else could someone have their conscience accuse them of wrongdoing when they haven’t even been taught that what they did was wrong? (see Romans 2:15).
2. The conscience isn’t infallible; it may accuse or defend certain actions falsely;
3. Some have a stronger conscience than others, but the stronger needs to act according to the level of the weaker conscience (see 1 Corinthians 8:10-12);
4. The conscience needs to be educated concerning what is morally right and wrong;
5. The conscience may be correct in its disposition, but should not have the final word as to what action is required (see 1 Corinthians 4:4-5).

I have taught that guilt is often a bad motivator; it often can lead you to do an incorrect or inappropriate thing. Don’t respond out of guilt; respond to the Spirit’s leading in your life and you will always do the proper thing.

In other words, if you have a guilty conscience, don’t ignore it, but also don’t accept it at face value. Paul wrote that his conscience did not bother him about a certain matter but he did not use that as his source of vindication:

“My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me” – 1 Corinthians 4:4.

9:15&16 – The Old Testament instituted a system of endless sacrifice. The New Testament focuses on one sacrifice, namely Christ, and the endless access that those who put their trust in Him have to the benefits of that one sacrifice. I heard someone say once that when you sin, you should run to God and not from Him  That is the power of what Christ did for you and me. Thank you, Jesus.

A guilty conscience can cause you to run from the very source that will cleanse your conscience! Don’t allow guilt to ruin or run your life, no matter how badly you’ve messed up. Run to Jesus and access the forgiveness that is yours.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished daily devotional entitled A Daily Taste of Proverbs. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Hebrews from God's word.

Download Hebrews Study 6

Hebrews Study Five: 7:15-8:10

Dear Student of the Word,

I trust you had a blessed Resurrection celebration and that the power of the cross and resurrection are more effective in your life than ever. I am in California, but have some time before I take a redeye flight home tonight to send you this latest installment from our Hebrews study. This week I wrote in this first part of our seven-day study:

Study Five, Day One

15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."  18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

7:15&16 - At this point, I have completed studies of every New Testament book. In my studies, I have noticed that Paul spent considerable time in Galatians and Romans addressing the issue of the Law and grace, trying to convince the readers that Jesus represented a better way than the Law and Temple regulations ever provided. Here the writer addressed the same issue. 

The issue of legalism is still prevalent in the Church today, making the issue of the Law as important today as it was 2,000 years ago. People are a religious beings, always searching for some system that will codify and structure their service to and relationship with God. The Lord isn’t interested in a system, but a relationship with His people. If the early writers spent a lot of time addressing legalism, then perhaps we should, too. 

We want a system because we want God to be predictable so we can control Him. Whenever that happens, we become God because we have found principles that can make Him do what we want. God will not permit that to happen.

The writer stated that Jesus’ priesthood was based not on the past but the present and future. His priesthood wasn’t based on the family tree but eternal life. By that I mean that Jesus did not come to teach men to follow the Law, but to give them eternal life, something which He possessed and had the power to bestow.

7:17 – Jesus can perform His priestly duties forever, because He lives forever. There is no end to His priesthood, as there was to every Levitical priest. They all died, but Jesus keeps ministering, because He had no beginning and no end, just like Melchizedek. 

7:18&19 – The former regulation for the priesthood and the Law was put aside in Christ. We now draw near to God through a better hope by far – the hope of Jesus and His eternal priesthood. Yet the readers were considering whether to abandon this hope for the reliability and predictability of the Old Testament Law. On what basis do you draw near to God?  On weak regulations and legalism or strong and eternal hope in the Son of God who lives forever? The answer is important, for it will determine how you relate to God and His promises.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished daily devotional entitled A Daily Taste of Proverbs. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Hebrews from God's word.

Download Hebrews Study 5

Hebrews Study Three: 4:12-6:6

Dear Student of the Word,

I am back from Kenya, having had a wonderful journey. I spoke to several thousand leaders and experienced the love and commitment of the Kenyan people that I have come to know and love. While I was away, I enrolled many new friends in my online programs and, if you are new to this study, I welcome you to these ongoing New Testament studies.

I am currently editing my study on the letter to the Hebrews. At the end of this email, I tell you how to access the rest of these New Testament. For now, here is an excerpt from this week's third installment, specifically part six of this seven-part study that you can access in full below. The writer was exhorting his readers not to return to Judaism, but to press on in the faith to full maturity:

Study Three, Part Six

6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.

6:1&2 – The writer considered repentance, faith, baptisms, laying on of hands, the resurrection and eternal judgment to be elementary teachings. How much do you know about each of those six topics? Can you explain them? Can you point out biblical references that speak to those topics? It would make a good study and warrant investing time to study and know the basics of each item. 

Often in sports, the most successful players are those who master the fundamentals, going on to outstanding performance. The same is true for those who are following Jesus. I went back to school in 1987 to earn my doctorate because I wasn’t happy with my lack of understanding of basic theological issues. That ignorance was not going to disappear unless I addressed it. What situation are you hoping will go away, but will not unless you take specific corrective steps?

6:3 – Remember, these Hebrews were considering abandoning the faith to return to Judaism. They would have had to turn their backs on these elementary teachings to embrace all kinds of acts that lead to death. Modern Christians can do the same thing and ‘return’ to their former way of life when faith in Christ becomes too uncomfortable. I urge you to continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of God, not tiring of the journey or disillusioned by disappointments:

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:10-14).

On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."  From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." (John 6:60-69).

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished daily devotional entitled A Daily Taste of Proverbs. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Hebrews from God's word!

Download Hebrews Study 3

Hebrews Study Part Two: 3:1-4:11

Dear Student of the Word,

I am currently in Uganda and finally had some time to edit the second installment of our study in Hebrews. In this part, the writer wrote about faith, disobedience and rest. The rest he wrote of was not a cessation of activities but a trust in God for salvation, life and provision. This week I wrote in part four of this seven-part study, which you can download below:

Part Two, Day Four

12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15 As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."  

3:12 – Faith is not a feeling. In this verse the writer commanded that no one have a “sinful, unbelieving heart.” That indicates that everyone can make the decision to have a holy, believing heart or an unbelieving one. What is the condition of your heart?  When did your last faith testimony occur?  If it occurred more than 12 months ago, why has it been so long?  What are you believing the Lord for right now? 

It would seem that rest and faith, rest and unbelief are connected in some way. Let’s read on to determine the connection.

3:13 – You need the encouragement of other believers on a daily basis or at least during the “today” to which the Holy Spirit is referring. A life of faith taxes your natural inclinations because things don’t happen according to your timetable or in a way that you can understand. A life of faith operates according to God’s plan and timing. Some people who have “gotten off the faith bus” because the journey was too long, bumpy or unpredictable. While good and holy people, they have decided the faith life involved too much pressure and they have subtly hardened their heart to any faith project.

3:14 – Someone once said that a walk with God is not a sprint but a marathon. here are those who start fast but fade. There is much talk about “finishing well” and that should be your goal. You must firmly hold your faith confidence from first to last.  If you don’t, you are in danger of not entering the rest that God has for you.

It never requires less but rather more faith to make progress in the things of God.  It is similar to raising a child. When they are babies, their parents need diaper faith.  When they are older, the parents need faith for university tuition. The needs are greater, and so the faith to obtain them must be greater as well. You cannot have diaper faith and expect to receive university tuition.

3:15 – The rebellion mentioned in this verse is from Psalm 95, quoted for the second time in this chapter, and is a description of the events that occurred in Exodus 16 and 17.  It was there that the people murmured against the Lord for what they perceived to be His lack of provision. They considered going back to Egypt because they did not like their living conditions and they did not trust the Lord for anything better. The people provoked the Lord and He threatened to let them die there had it not been for Moses’ intervention.

The rebellion here was an issue of faith in the hearts of the people. They had decided not to go on in faith, but rather to take matters into their own hands. Even though they had seen great things, they wearied and hardened their hearts. Have you seen God do great things for you, but are you in the same place? Are you tired of the faith journey, and considering turning back? The message to you is the same as it was to the original readers of this letter: Don't do it!

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished daily devotional entitled A Daily Taste of Proverbs. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Hebrews from God's word!

Download Hebrews Study 2