Hebrews 1-3
Sharing in Christ,
if...
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TMS Matthew 6:33 What Are Your Priorities in Life?
Observations
Instead of worrying about the trivial needs of this temporal existence, we should be trusting God for our daily bread, and be pursuing the eternal rewards God has awaiting believers in the future. The Sermon on the Mount is about how to get blessed in the Millennial Kingdom of the Messiah (see comments on Mt 5-7 if you aren't totally convinced of that). Seeking first the kingdom is to seek our blessing/reward in His kingdom, by embodying His righteousness (which He requires of us). It is not something we automatically get, otherwise we would not be told to seek it. If we focus on pleasing God, by doing what He said (like this verse), He will focus on meeting our needs. He knows that we need the things which we're tempted to get anxious about, and has abundant resources to meet them. There will always be the daily temptation to worry about what has to be done, but God gives daily strength and grace to do all He wants us to do each day. So if we're trusting Him to do that, we can concern ourselves with our Heavenly Father's business.
Application
How are you seeking first (as in top priority) God's kingdom and righteousness? Putting quality time into DailyTruthbase, morning and evening, might be a good start.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I praise You that You know my needs, and can do a far better job of meeting them than I can; thanks that I can trust You to meet them; please guide me in doing what You want me to do with the life You've entrusted to me. Amen.
Hebrews 1-3 Sharing in Christ, if...
The unnamed author of Hebrews writes to Jewish believers who were being pressured to return to Judaism. He shows them that what they have in Christ is superior to what they had previously, and warns them that they will lose out on blessing if they abandon their hope in the promises of Christ, and fail to progress to maturity. It's not about losing justification/forgiveness but losing out on glory/reward. He builds to a climax in chapter 10 and exhorts them to continue in faith, hope, and love, and then chiastically expands on faith in chapter 11, hope in chapter, 12, and love in chapter 13.
Hebrews 1 Final Revelation and Future Ruler
The Supremacy of the Son
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”?
Or again,
“I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son”?
6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God's angels worship him.”
7 Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds,
and his ministers a flame of fire.”
8 But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
10 And,
“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment, 12 like a robe you will roll them up,
like a garment they will be changed.
But you are the same,
and your years will have no end.”
13 And to which of the angels has he ever said,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
Application
Jesus was exalted because He hated wickedness and loved righteousness; we should do the same.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thanks that You have given Jesus as our Savior, and example, exalting Him to glory; may I never be tempted to abandon Him and go back to the way I was. Amen.
Hebrews 2 Don't Drift Nor Disobey
Salvation Confirmed
1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.Jesus like His Brothers
5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere,“What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him? 7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.”
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying,
“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
13 And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”
And again,
“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Application
Jesus wants to help us win the victory over sin and the devil, and lead us to share in His glory.
Prayer
Hebrews 3 Sharing is Conditional
Jesus Our Apostle and High Priest
1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.Do Not Harden Your Hearts
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,“Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your fathers put me to the test
and saw my works for forty years. 10 Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;
they have not known my ways.’ 11 As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’”
The Peril of Unbelief
12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
Application
God designed the fellowship of believers to encourage one another to persevere in holiness for their future rest/reward or glory, especially in keeping each other from being deceived and hardened against God by sin. When was the last time you encouraged someone to not sin?
Prayer
God thanks for the promise of Your blessing, the examples of the OT and the encouragement of faithful saints in NT times; may I be faithful to follow You, and help others do the same. Amen.
Digging Deeper
God in a nutshell: God communicated through His prophets in the past, but has now finalized His revelation in His Son. He has exalted Christ because of His obedience in loving righteousness and hating wickedness. God has put everything under Christ, but that is not yet seen here on earth.
Build-a-Jesus: Jesus is superior to anything and everything in Judaism, and therefore should be followed to glory. He was exalted because of His obedience, and shares His glory and reign with companions who are faithful to Him. He not only died for all people but is leading many sons to glory, though the path of suffering. He will return to rule and reward.
Us in a nutshell: We who believe in Christ must faithfully follow Him if we would share in His glory. Those who depart from doing so will suffer disinheritance because of their disobedience and unfaithfulness, just like the Exodus generation did. We have the responsibility to watch out, not only for ourselves, but for each other was well. Our future rest is our reward in heaven, until get there, we should run to win.
Where to go for more
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