What does pursuing Jesus mean practically speaking? Last week in our study of the book of Hebrews we learned how God uses trials, temptations and tribulation to discipline us for our good. God’s discipline in our lives is never punitive but always redemptive. Therefore, the writer encourages us to keep our eyes firmly fixed on… Continue Reading
God’s Key to Spiritual Growth: Discipline! Do you long for more spiritual fruit in your life? Do you desire more peace, joy, goodness, self-control and holiness? Would you like to experience the reality of Christ more in your character, habits, attitudes? My hope is that you would all respond to these questions with a resounding… Continue Reading
Jesus is the reward for persevering in our faith! In our study of the book of Hebrews, I have argued that the central message the writer wants to convey to us is simply this: Jesus is worth it! In other words, having Jesus in our lives is worth every effort, sacrifice, struggle and hardship. Jesus… Continue Reading
Jesus is a better sacrifice! So far in our study of Hebrews we have seen how the writer continues to emphasize to his readers that Jesus not only fulfills the Old Testament sacrificial system but that the sacrificial system itself was a shadow and copy of a greater salvation now revealed in Christ. Last week… Continue Reading
Jesus is where God and humanity meet in a single person! I know many Christians who, having determined to read their way through the entire bible, wind up quitting as soon as they hit the biblical “axis of confusion”: Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It seems that the most avid and determined readers of the bible… Continue Reading
Jesus is a Better Covenant! This week in our series in the letter of Hebrews we will continue looking at what it means to have Jesus as our High Priest – the true “Melchizedek” – who offers us a better covenant than what we had under the Old Testament law. While the book of Hebrews… Continue Reading
Who is Melchizedek & why does it matter? This week in our series in the letter of Hebrews we will explore the mysterious Old Testament figure named Melchizedek. Other than his encounter with Abraham in Gen. 14, Melchizedek does not appear again in any other narrative. However, in Psalm 110 God promises to His “anointed… Continue Reading
Can a Christian lose their salvation? This week in our series in the letter of Hebrews we will wrestle together with a theological issue which the church at large has debated for centuries: can a Christian lose their salvation in Jesus? While I certainly don’t pretend to have spoken the final word on this hotly… Continue Reading
What is a High Priest & what does Jesus have to do with it? This week in our series in the letter of Hebrews the writer will begin his lengthy teaching about the high priesthood of Jesus. Over the next several chapters, the writer will go to great lengths in describing how Jesus not only… Continue Reading
How do we enter into the “rest” of God? This week in our study in the book of Hebrews we will explore how God issues an invitation to His people to enter into His “rest”. The word used in the Greek text for “rest” is the same one that is used to describe God’s “Sabbath”… Continue Reading