Book of Hebrews

Do You Really Trust the Lord Jesus

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Better Service

Book of Hebrews Chapter 13

We must understand that we were made to worship our Creator!

We must recognize the Higher Authority of our Creator and reverence Him!

He is the Highest of the high!

We live in a world today that rejects authority and everyone wants to do as they please without being held accountable.

Because of sin we had to be “Born Again” again so we could worship God and we have to know the truth of God to understand these things!

We should be able to see from all the previous chapters in this Book of Hebrews that the Lord Jesus Christ did not do away with the Law but He in fact fulfilled the Law.

Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

The Bible would be useless to us if the Lord Jesus had not come to fulfill all the Law and all the prophets!

We need the entire Word of God to understand the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the truth of our Creator!

Unlike most preachers and most men of God today, the Lord Jesus did not shy away from giving us the truth.

It is a fact, that the Lord Jesus Christ would not be allowed to preach in most Churches today because, His message was blunt and to the truth of God.

The first twelve chapters of the Book of Hebrews have described to us the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember the writer was writing to early Hebrew Christians as opposed to the Greek Christians.

The call of the Book of Hebrews is a call to action!

What is wrong with the Church today? It has become lazy and liberal!

The modern church has gotten so bad, it is rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ who is the foundation of the Church!

God the Holy Spirit has been precise in teaching us that it is the Lord Jesus Christ we are to listen to and not the foolish men of this world, even if those men are so-called men of God .

Since it is “by faith” that we can have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, then we must put action to this relationship we have with Him!

We can describe this “action” as “trust”!

Our lives must reflect the reality of our relationship with our Savior, and we do this when we “trust” what He says and be obedient to His Word!

We are to worship in Spirit and Truth, and it seems we have forgotten these things!

Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

See what the Lord Jesus is saying?

If you are saved, then you have the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost) living within you and it should be noticeable in our worship of Him.

Those who do not have the Holy Spirit living in them, cannot know how to worship God!

It is a shame that those who are lost, worship sin better than most Christians worship our Savior!

They put more effort into sin than they do eternal life, and it is not supposed to be that way!

What is on the inside of our hearts will come to the outside in our lifestyle starting with the words we speak!

Luk 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

It is this Chapter 13 that teaches us how to deal with some of these things.

*Heb 13:1 Let brotherly love continue.

In this chapter we will deal with serving the Lord.

A good meaning of servitude can be taken from the Book of Romans:

Rom 1:9 For God is my witness, “whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son”, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

Before we can be of service to the Lord, we must have a realistic view of the world:

Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

We are all sinners so how can we even think we could judge others? There is only one Judge, and He is the Lord and he will judge us by His Word

What are some of the places where the Lord has chosen for us to serve?

Rom 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Rom 12:7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Rom 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

If the Lord has something specific for you, He will send it to you by the Holy Spirit.

The one ingredient that will keep us all honest is “Brotherly Love”!

How do we describe “Brotherly Love”?

Brotherly love is that feeling of mutual regard among all the members of our faith.

Brotherly love is a little bit different from the way we love our families.

It is brother like love, it is brother love, the love we must have for our brothers and sisters in Christ. The love of the brethren.

1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Our brethren are all those who try to keep all the Word of God as best they can and are in one accord with us.

1Pe 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
1Pe 3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

We are all one family because we all have the same Father! God the Father. We also have the same Savior our High Priest the Lord Jesus Christ!

Our soon coming King.

Mat 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
Mat 23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

We do these things because we are all filled with the same Spirit, the Holy Spirit!

Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

As we can see “Brotherly Love” is important to the Church, the brethren of the Lord Jesus Christ who are doing the “will” of our Heavenly Father!

Mat 12:50 For whosoever “shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven”, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

If we are obedient servants to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are in the family of God!

We can tell our brothers and sisters by the manner in which they have conversations with us and with others.

*Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

How can we be content as Christians?

1) Living our life without covetousness. Not loving money and our possessions more that the Church!
2) Being satisfied with what the Lord has provided.
3) Having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and knowing He will never forsake us.

When we are focused on our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, none of these other things will seem important!

Even our thoughts should be focused upon the Lord “for what He has done for us and how best we can serve Him”.

Luk 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Now being content does not mean that we cannot spend some time to improve our situation.

As believers we are to work and labor more diligently than those who do not know the Lord and doing this will sometimes bring rewards here upon this earth.

We have the Lord to provide that additional strength we need to succeed, because the results are in the hands of the Lord.

If we fail for some reason, we can know that a failure is only temporary.

God always works things out for our good!

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

*Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

As Christians this world and the things of this world can never satisfy us, nor were they intended to satisfy us.

We are not to be a part of this world!

What we are looking for lies in Heaven with the Lord and those who have gone on before us!

The things of this world can only look good, taste good, and feel good, but this is all they can do!

Material things cannot satisfy the soul, remember the Holy Spirit that lives within us knows all about Heaven and He will yearn for His own return to the glory world and pass this yearning on to us as our work upon this earth nears completion.

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

We can enjoy the necessities of this life, but only after we have first sought the Kingdom of Heaven!

Mat_6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We should be mindful of the leaders of the Church!

*Heb 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

The Church leaders we are to be mindful of, are only those who proclaim the “Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ” and “all the Word of God”.

If they cannot or do not proclaim the entire Word of God as the truth then, we need to ignore them and find a place where “all” the Word of God is proclaimed as the truth.

If their conviction is that God exist and is the Creator and Ruler of all things.
If their conviction that God is the Provider and the Bestower of eternal salvation.
If they lean on the character of God as written in the Word of God.
If their absolute “trust” and “confidence” is in God’s power, God’s wisdom, and God’s goodness, then they can be remembered as leaders of the Church.

These are living leaders and dead leaders that are to be remembered.

A dead leader would have had the same message as the modern Church leader’s message and should not have changed from those who have gone on to be with the Lord.

1Th 5:12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
1Th 5:13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

Why is this true? Because God does not ever change His character!

*Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Why can we trust the Word of God? Because God will never change His character!
How can we trust that our salvation is real? Because the Lord Jesus will never change His character.

No matter how much this world changes this change will never affect the truth of God!

National leaders come and go, but the Sovereign Master of Life is permanent, and none can change this fact!

The Lord Jesus Christ is forever!

The Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed everything for us!

The Lord Jesus Christ took upon Himself all the sin of this world, even the sin that is happening today and bore the guilt of that sin and the judgment of that sin for us.

It is by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that we can become acceptable to God and there is no other way to do this!

No matter how terrible our sin, during the Church Age we will see nothing but “Mercy” from our Lord Jesus!

During this time of the Church Age we will see the “Grace” of God and not the “wrath” of God!

During this time of “Grace” the Lord Jesus will run to us to meet our needs.

Remember the parable of the “Prodigal Son”.

Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

We can depend on the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ lives to provide all our needs!

*Heb 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

If you are Christian and know that the Lord Jesus is the same yesterday, and today, and forever, then you will not pay any attention to strange doctrines and false teachings!

There are many false doctrines that have filtered through the Church since its beginning!

Many of these are the reason behind the many denominations.

These things have carried so many away from the “Grace” of God and led them to a works doctrine, where it is said your good must outweigh your bad.

There is also the doctrine of moderation which does not exist in reality, there is no such law as moderation.

You cannot sin in moderation when the Lord says to do our absolute best to not sin at all!

Rituals cannot replace the Grace of God!
Ceremonies cannot replace the Grace of God!
Trying to abide by those old laws concerning foods cannot replace the Grace of God!

Our foods are bought with money and money cannot replace the “Grace” of God but is for certain the root of all evil!

God will not transform anyone by some physical or material thing!

Baptism cannot save us!
Church membership cannot save us!
Just because the parents were saved does not make the children saved!

The only thing that can make us “pure” in the eyes of God is a personal relationship with His Son the Lord Jesus Christ!

We must get hold of the fact that the Bible is the full and final authority of this world!

We can only be sanctified by accepting the work that the Lord Jesus has completed for our salvation!

*Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

We get the doctrines of God only from the Word of God!

2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

2Ti 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
2Ti 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

What is true doctrine? The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ in payment for our sin.

Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Tit 2:15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

The Doctrine of Substitution is mentioned here.

Only the Lord Jesus could be our substitute!

He was Born of a Virgin.
He lived a sinless and perfect life.
He secured a perfect righteousness.
He became the Perfect and Ideal man.
He became the perfect sacrifice for our sin!

There is no other sacrifice that could be made for our sin, beside the Lord Jesus Christ!

*Heb 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
Heb 13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
Heb 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

It is our duty as Christians to guard against strange teachings.

Our best protection is to read and study the Bible for ourselves, and through the preaching and teaching of those who depend upon the Word of God for the truth, because it is the truth if it a translation of the “Received Text”!

We live in a world that is getting further and further from the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a world of difference between the Gospel of Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and being slaves to sin.

It is a fact that you cannot truly call Christ your Lord unless you have the Holy Spirit abiding within you.

Rom_8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

We must continue to be witnesses for the Lord, even if it causes heart aches to those who reject Him.

We must continue to witness in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, even if it offends some people including our own families!

We must go forth bearing the reproach of our Savior!

We must remember it is our own sin that caused the Lord to have to die for us!
We do not have it in our power to make a sacrifice big enough or worthy enough for God to accept!
We can never be good enough to be accepted of the Lord!
We must know that it is only by the blood of Jesus that can make us acceptable to God!

The greatest problem of most humans “is to confess that what we do is wrong”, in the eyes of God!

The world just does not acknowledge the sin mess that causes all the problems in this world.

If we cannot deny ourselves and take up the cross of Jesus, we cannot say we are the children of God!

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luk 9:24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
Luk 9:25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

There is no place upon this earth that we can call our home, we are citizens of the New Heaven!

It amazes me that a large group of our population are trying to reach the moon and even Mars and leave this earth when it is sin that is destroying this earth and they will take sin with them no matter where they go.

No one can run away from the truth of God!

There is another group who think they can save this earth, but they cannot.

There is a place called Heaven and it does not take magic to get there and it is true that it is an eternal place.

It takes a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

We cannot approach God except by the Lord Jesus Christ!

What sacrifices please God?

1) We must confess His name.
2) We must live a Holy Life in the name of Jesus Christ.
3) We must give to those who are in need.

It is the hypocrite who praises God with his or her lips, but does not live a Holy Life!

We must never forget that God looks into the heart, and He knows what we are.

God cannot be fooled!

1Pe 2:12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Amen

True Worship

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Better System of Worship

Book of Hebrews Chapter 12 Verses 18 through 29

What is true worship? We could say that worship is the act of paying divine honors to the Supreme Being who is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The term “God” is such a generic term that sometimes I hate to use it and use the term Lord or Lord God.

It seems that everyone who has ever lived has a god that they worship!

Even the Atheist has a god! They put their own selves in the position of being god and they think they can tell all others what to do.

This is acting somewhat like a god.

Some people have many gods.

As Christians we are to reverence our Lord God! In the Old Testament He says His name is Jehovah.

He says He is the “I AM” because He is self-existing, and He is.

It is our Lord God who is the Giver and the Taker of life!

We could say our reverence is the fear that is within us, that is acceptable to the Lord God Jehovah.

You see if our worship is not acceptable to the One True God then it is not worship!

We also know Him as the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

We also know Him as God the Holy Spirit!

We are to acknowledge His perfection.
We should be unwilling to offend Him.
We should have that admiration of someone so great He is unfathomable.
We are to respect Him.
We are to respect everything that He says.
We are to respect everything that He does because everything the Lord does is the right thing to do.
We are to love Him and show that love to Him.
We are to talk to Him just like He is with us at all times because He is!

True worship must be of a spiritual nature, and it must be in accordance with the truth of God as revealed to us in the Bible.

Remember the Scriptures recorded in the Bible are the words that our God chose to use to teach us about Him.

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

He did not have to reveal Himself to us! Think about that for a moment.

Worship involves presenting all we have in our heart, our body, our soul, and our entire being, to our Lord God!

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

As Christians, we are to be devoted to our Lord God Almighty!

What is true worship?

Act 24:14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, “believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets”:
Act 24:15 And have “hope toward God”, which they themselves also allow, that “there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust”.
Act 24:16 And herein do I exercise myself, “to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men”.

This is the Apostle Paul describing to us true worship.

True worship is an expressed service of thought, speech, or action that ascribes glory to the One True God!

Let us begin:

*Heb 12:18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
Heb 12:19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:

We must be clear, “no one” can approach God and be acceptable to God who is imperfect, “no one”!

No human being can become perfect without the Lord Jesus Christ, who says we must be “Born Again”!

Imperfect beings can never become perfect beings!

It is a simple law of creation; imperfection can never be made perfection!

Once a thing is imperfect, it can never become perfect, it is impossible!

These things are true upon this earth, but God can do the impossible!

So, what can be done?

We could say that life is a race to perfection, but a race that cannot be won without the Lord Jesus Christ!

We must still understand it is God who will first call!

No one can approach God who has not been called by Him!

Once called, we must decide if we are going to approach God or not.

There is where the “gift of choice” becomes so important!

It is the call of God that enables a person to believe!

“It is then a human responsibility to answer the call of God”!

We must clearly understand that God will not just wait around to see if we will answer His call!

God is not governed by situations outside of Himself!

God’s purpose will be achieved with us or without us!

Again, we must understand that God took it upon Himself to reveal Himself when He did not have to, so everything God now does is according to His own purpose!

In reality, God has sent out an invitation to join Him in His realm!

His realm is not upon this earth!

The first approach to God was the Old Covenant.

The second approach to God was the New Covenant.

The approach of the Old Covenant was an external, material approach to God.

People had to approach God to receive His Word and His Law.

The people approached God at Mount Sinai an earthly place, not Spiritual nor Heavenly, just a physical place upon this earth.

When we approach God with material and physical things, these things will not last, this approach will never last long because all material things never last.

A Christian must approach God with a Spiritual approach!

When we try to approach God through the Old Covenant of the Law, we will stand before God condemned!

When we stand before God according to His “Grace”, we will be justified.

Just as if we had never sinned!

Mat_20:16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
Mat_22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

The children of Israel stood before God at the base of an erupting volcano, yet when God spoke His voice was so full of authority and so sure, it drowned out the noise of these things and the people became more frightened of God than the noise of Mount Sinai.

This is when the children of Israel decided they had a need of a mediator and Moses was God’s man chosen for this position.

These people were so frightened of God, they did not want to hear from Him anymore!

We cannot be saved unless we hear for God in a personal way.
We cannot worship God unless we have a personal relationship with His Son Jesus!

*Heb 12:20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
Heb 12:21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

Why could not God deal with Israel as He deals with the Church?

They could never overcome their true fear of God in order to approach Him in a Spiritual manner!

They could not make themselves believe they could have of a higher understanding of God.

Even Moses got caught up in this fear, as we all would have on this day.

Exo 20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

They were as little children, who wanted to see past His voice in order to believe!

Exo 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

We could say that God was preaching that day to the congregation of these Hebrews, who were so afraid they could understand the message.

When people approach God according to the Law, they must approach God cautiously, because each broken Law will see the wrath of God.

This is the fear that God intended for them to realize.

This is the fear that God wants us all to realize, we absolutely do not want to see the wrath of our Heavenly Father.

We just do not want to see the wrath of God!

God has shown us a way to avoid His wrath by His Son Jesus!

The second approach, the New Covenant removes the wrath of God!

*Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

The New Covenant is a Covenant of “Grace”!

The true approach to God today is by this New Covenant!

The Old Covenant, the Law is our “schoolmaster” to teach us about sin not about salvation!

Gal_3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal_3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

This new approach to God is Spiritual and it is Heavenly!

It is by the cross of Christ Jesus that a doorway is opened for us to enter into Heaven, which is where our Lord is located right now.

This Mount Zion that is the place of the city of the New Jerusalem.

Mount Sinai is earthly and physical!

Mount Zion is both Spiritual and Heavenly!

What does the Church say?

2Co 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

We should know that there are angels around every child of God to help and protect us, but there are still more angels in Heaven than can be counted.

These angels are perfect and when we get to Heaven we will have been perfected.

Rev 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
Rev 5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

In fact, we will join them singing this same song!

It is by this New Covenant, that the Church will enter into Heaven and there is no other path but by the Church!

That One, who is the Firstborn, is of course the Lord Jesus Christ!

He is also God and the Judge of all things, but we can be assured He will only judge according to the Word of God!

The Lord Jesus is First Born of the Church, but He is also the Founder of the Church, the Author of Salvation, the Beginning of the Truth, and Savior of the Church.

Those who are part of the true Church, are the same ones whose names are written in Heaven in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

We get to Heaven, we will join not only the angels, but also to those who have gone on before us who have already reached that state of perfection.

Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

Those that can reach Heaven’s gates are the same ones who have been judged by God and are then “justified”.
Each believer has been judged while in this body of flesh and justified to enter in Heaven!

Rom 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

It is also important that it is this same Judge who will judge the unbeliever!

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Heaven is the place where all the Saints of God will come together to rejoice in the Lord!

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

We can only be received into Heaven if, we know the Mediator and He knows us!

1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Then comes the warning to all those who reject the Lord Jesus.

*Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
Heb 12:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

If we remember when we started in this great book, the first thing we read was that we had better listen to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Here in this Scripture the Holy Spirit states that we had better not refuse the Lord Jesus Christ, who is speaking to us in this New Covenant!

There is no one who will escape the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and then get to Heaven!
There is God’s warning about a great shaking and judgment of the entire universe not too far into our future.
There is a new unshakeable kingdom that must be received by all!

It was Moses who spoke on this earth and gave us the Law of God.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who speaks from Heaven who speaks as He is God, because He is!

Because the Lord Jesus is speaking from Heaven, the New Heaven, we will be held more accountable than the Old Covenant Saints and will face a much greater judgment if we reject our Redeemer.

Mar_6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

There will be no escape whatsoever for any person who refuses to hear the words of “Mercy” and “Grace”, which are the words that the Lord Jesus Christ proclaims.

It is only by the Blood of Jesus Christ we will ever enter into Heaven!

*Heb 12:27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

There is coming a great shaking of this earth!

In the time of Moses when God spoke, the early Hebrews became so afraid, they just told Moses that he could talk to God.

They did not want to hear the voice of God again because of their great fear.

There is another great shaking coming again when God will decide to speak to this earth, and this is a promise and God does not ever break His promises!

Hag 2:6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
Hag 2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

Have you ever seen the damage caused by earthquakes today and some are major, but we have seen nothing compared to the day God will shake this entire planet called earth and there will be no place to hide then and there is no place to hide now because the Lord put us in the places where we are located, he knows where we are at all times.

It will be only those things that cannot be shaken that will remain!

God’s New Word will be eternal and more alive than anything we can see upon this earth!

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

By the way, God does not make empty threats!

*Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.

How do we receive God’s New Kingdom?

1) Make sure we have received the “Grace of God”.
Grace is that unspeakable gift and favor of God that comes by His “Grace”.

2) Make sure after we have received God’s Grace, and that we serve Him with a godly fear.
This fear describes our reverence to Him and His formidable power.

Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Psa 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

We must serve God according to His Word because God is a consuming fire.

A consuming fire will not go out until all things that fuel it are consumed!

Let us pay attention and worship God, the Lord Jesus Christ with the reverence that He deserves!

This way we will be in practice when we join Him in His Father’s House.

Amen

God’s Unconditional Love

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Better Love

Book of Hebrews Chapter 12 Verses 1 through 11

How can we describe the love of another person?

We could say that love is showing affection to that person, accompanied with an ardent desire to promote this person’s happiness!

1) By abstaining from all that could cause injury to that person.
2) By doing all that can promote that person’s welfare, that person’s comfort, that person’s interest, whether that person appreciates that effort or is indifferent to that effort.

Love must be something personal, coming from one person and directed toward another person.

A relationship develops when both these persons feel the same toward each other.

As Christians we know that God is “Love” and He portrays to us absolute, never ending, enduring, love!

God proves His love for His creation by the things He says, and He does!

1Jn 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
1Jn 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1Jn 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

It is because God has this love that we also should learn to love as God loves!

Joh 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Joh 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Joh 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

So when we begin reading this passage that talks of a race, then we must accept that our race in the will of God is a LOVE race.

*Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

It is a race to know God and His love and to commune with and fellowship with God both now and forever.

If we love God as He loves us then, we will believe Him and all the Words He has given to us, and be obedient to Him and all the Word of God!

We will believe in all the promises of God, and we will believe the love He has shown us in His Son!

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

There is so much we can learn from the Word of God, but if we can just believe He has this love as described here, the rest will be easy!

There is great power in faith.
There is even great power when our faith is combined with our true love for Him.

It is the baggage of a wicked world that has lost its affection for regular people and serves only the elite and powerful, that drags down each of us, unless we can lay aside these things and strive to match the pace God has given to us in His Son Jesus.

God has provided something much better for those who love Him!

Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

You see we must continue to fight that good fight of faith just as those in the previous chapter!

1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

When we read of the New Testament saints, we should see them as witnesses for the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must clearly understand that anything that does not build us up, is then tearing us down!

Anything that does not improve our Christian life, is then detrimental to our Christian life and our faith!

When we attend a Church service, then it must be to hear the message God has for us that day and fellowship with our likeminded brothers and sisters, and not for entertainment.

If we miss that service, then we have missed God’s message for that day and the importance of it!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Author of our salvation and without Him there would be no salvation!

*Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

**Looking; we are to fix our eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ as the object of our “faith”!
We are to fix our eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ as “the only” means of our “salvation”!

**Author; the Lord Jesus Christ is the “Originator” and the “Preeminent Example” of a life in Christ, being obedient to our Heavenly Father.

**Finisher; the Lord Jesus Christ is our “Perfector”! It is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that will carry us through to “perfection”.
The Lord Jesus Christ does not start something that He does not finish!

Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”:

**The joy; The Lord Jesus Christ got no pleasure in the pain He endured. He got no pleasure in the way the very humans He created treated Him.

Heb 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and “was heard in that he feared”;

Remember the Lord was 100% man and 100% God. He absolutely did fear the scourge, because it caused the death of so many before they reached the cross. The Lord Jesus had to die on that cross!

Joh_3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

He got joy in knowing that He had completed the work of salvation for every human who has ever existed.

His work for our salvation is finished:

Joh_17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do”.

The Lord Jesus Christ felt joy knowing that salvation was now in our hands for He had completed the payment for our salvation that we did not have the power to do.

Our part is to believe Him and what He has done. This is why “faith” is so critical!

God will not tolerate those who reject His Son because of the work He had to do.

There is still joy in Heaven every time some lost soul is saved.

Luk_15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner “that repenteth”.

You will notice that it is not just salvation that brings joy to Heaven, it is that fact of repentance!

The joy of the Lord came to Him because He had accomplished His Father’s will.

What is His Father’s Will?

1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth”.

**Right hand; His work completed, Our Lord Jesus returned to His place at the right hand of God, but not just as Sovereign God of all His creation, but also as the High Priest and Mediator and Intercessor for each and everyone who have now committed to having that “Saving Faith”.

The right hand is the place power, authority, and honor.

Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Rom 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

The Lord Jesus Christ is our example of the results of “faith” as we will also return to the Father if we can show this same “faith”!

*Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Heb 12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

How can we survive this cruel world? By keeping our focus on the things that the Lord Jesus Christ had to accomplish so that we can have this great salvation that is for eternity!

If we compare our own suffering to the suffering of Christ Jesus, we will see that there is really no comparison to the suffering and shame of our Lord as He paid our sin debt.

This will keep us from getting weary, meaning exhausted, tired, worn out, or even just relaxing as we go about the work that the Lord Jesus has given us to do.

There is no neutral ground when we serve the Lord.

We either are or we are not !

Discouragement can ruin our testimony for Christ!

Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

We must resist the temptations of this world and focus on Christ who has already defeated this world!

Most all of us can say we have not resisted until death.

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1Co 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

We must never count the chastisement of the Lord toward us as punishment, when it is only the Holy Spirit who is keeping us on that narrow path to victory.

We must never question the love of God for His children!

If we would just take the time to study all the things our Lord has done for us simply because of His Great Love, we would not hesitate to show Him our love.

*Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

We should also be clear on this issue. God will discipline His believers!

God will not discipline non-believers!

He chastens, corrects, and rebukes believers!

God cannot be tempted with evil, nor does God tempt any human being.

Jas 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Notice it is lust that conceives, that brings sin into our lives.

It is the lust between a man and a woman who refuse to take responsibility that makes a need for abortion.
It is the lust between two people male or female that cause the queer life style.
It is the lust for power that ruins politicians.
It is the lust for riches that has corrupted our world!

Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

It is sin that alienates us from God!

God does not cause temptation, nor does He cause us to sin.

God does not cause devastation, accidents, destruction, sickness, death or sufferings, trials or troubles and problems.

These are all things of this world!

God will go through these things with us if He allows them!

God does not cause terrible things to happen, nor does He cause evil!

God’s concern for us is not to cause us problems!

**God allows some of these things to happen to us to teach, to train us, and instruct us, on how to deal with these type things, to make us stronger.

We are to stand on the truth of God!

God does not want any of these things to defeat us and they will not, if we stand firm upon the Word of God, for He will be with us at all times.

Php_4:13 I can do “all” things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

There is a reason for that word “ALL”.

These things will only make us stronger if we allow God the Holy Ghost to do His work of sanctification!

When we come under attack we must immediately turn to God and ask for help!

All these things are only directed at us to allow God to work in our hearts to make us stronger.

We must never lay around in self-pity.

Many things are blamed on God that are just not true.

For instance, a small innocent baby is crippled in an automobile accident by a drunk driver. This is not being chastened or corrected by God!

This happens because we live in a corrupted world full of sin.

This is the same for drive-by shootings and other such things.

God simply does not cause such things, “love” simply does not act this way!

We will not see the wrath of God during this period of the “Grace”

All of God’s instruction is to teach us to trust and depend more upon the Lord Jesus Christ!

**When we fail or cave into a trial or sin, God will let us reap what we have sown!

We will always bear the results of our sin, but it does not cause God to love us any less.

When we deal with the bad and evil things of this earth, God did not cause them!

We must not despise discipline!

When we are being taught by God, we need to cherish it and know that God is using these things to make us stronger so we will be able to help others who may go through the same thing.

We must get accustomed to the tug and pull of the Holy Spirit and even the little tugs can have critical meaning.

Jer 32:33 And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.

When we endure the chastening of the Lord it shows we trust our Savior and our love will grow even stronger.

*Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

We must understand that when we are going through a period of chastening and suffering because of it, and we see someone else going through something similar with relative ease we must not get confused.

If God has received us as His children, we should expect our Heavenly Father to keep us straight just as we do our own children.

This shows the great love that God has for us!

He may even spank us to get our attention, but it is still done in love.

It is such a great honor to know you are a child of God and many times as we go through these things, thank spanking hand feels more like a comforting hand because this is the way God is to His children.

We must endure the discipline of God.
We are to stand fast in our trials and troubles.

We must become soft to the feel of the Holy Spirit!

We are to follow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit will direct us by the Word of God.

The Holy Spirit will never lead us away from Jesus Christ!

Our Heavenly Father is a Loving Father!

Now that one who is going through something similar with relative ease may not even be a child of God.

God does not discipline those who do not love Him!

They too are subject to the curse upon this world and exposed to the wickedness and corruptness of it.

God does not discipline those who do not love Him because they are already subject to His “wrath” to come!

This person is the child of Satan.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

These people will act just as Satan acts!

The Bible says these are “bastards” and not sons.

Bastard used here means the offspring of non-believers who have rejected the truth of God and not taught their children the Word of God!

Pro_22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Furthermore.

*Heb 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Heb 12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

If we have grown up having a father who loves us, then we have surely been disciplined by him and maybe that mother or both and we know it was done out of love.

Much of the troubles we have today are caused because of broken families and this is the work of Satan!

What we see today is children raised without discipline and it shows up so much that it is changing this entire world.

In fact, many of them have grown up to become leaders who now have no respect for the law and choose to not discipline those who break the law.

Living in this world of today we see that love of life has truly little meaning.

Rom_1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

2Ti_3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

The discipline of God brings life and life eternal!

The discipline of this world brings death, maybe not physical death but eternal death and separation from a Holy God!

They will be delivered to this death the very moment they leave this world, whereas the child of God knows that death is just a steppingstone to eternal life in the glory world.

Pro 11:19 As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.

As we were growing up, our parents only had a few days to try to get us to grow up in a righteous manner in ways they thought were good, and many times they used too much discipline for the wrong things and too little discipline when they should have been tougher.

God does not ever make this mistake and God has our lifetime after salvation to get us ready for Heaven and useful for the work He has for us in this world.

If we are not partakers of His holiness, how do we ever expect to come face to face with Him.

There are no places to hide in Heaven! We either are or we are not!

Any move we make toward sin is a good reason to see the discipline of God!

*Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

It could be said that pain teaches us our nothingness.

We do not have it in power to stop our pain especially that mental pain for a terrible situation that is going on in our lives.

Health permits us to swell in pride and self-esteem, but pain knocks us down a level and shows us our feebleness.

Pain shows us we are not in charge even of our own bodies!

The fact of the matter is that we need solid “Grace” when we are thrown into the furnace of affliction and if Jesus is not there with us, we will be burnt to a crisp!

It is “faith and love” that teaches us to bear all things good and bad because we trust in a perfect Savior!

There is peace that comes to those who are going to the trials and temptations of this world because we know we are not alone.

There is a lot that can be said of that person who can stand and face God and say, “be merciful to me God, I am but just a sinner that loves you”.

There is “Mercy and Grace” at the Throne of Love!

Amen

The Principle of Faith

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Better Principle

Book of Hebrews Chapter 11

What does the word “principle” mean?

According to the Websters dictionary the word “principle” means: In a general sense, the cause, source, or origin of any thing; that from which a thing proceeds; as the principle of motion; the principles of action.

We should be able to understand the “principle of faith”!

Let us talk about “the principle of faith”.

It is the “principle of faith” that is the foundation of the Church.

1Co_3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Our salvation can come only by “the principle of faith” in the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He has done for our redemption!

Act 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

The “principle of faith” is the same for all people!

Act 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith is the only way we can approach God!

When we are in conversation with God, we must have faith and we must show God our “faith”!

Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

It is because of the principle of faith” that we can be forgiven of our sins!

It is true that our only responsibility in our salvation is believing the “Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ” but we need to believe all the Word of God!

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

We must understand that the many different translations of the Scriptures can contain errors, but the “Received Text” has no errors at all, and we need a translation that comes from the “Received Text”.

“Saving Faith” involves three things:

1) Knowledge:

There are certain basic truths that must be believed!

We must believe the things that Jesus claimed to be!

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Unless we believe these things, we will die in our sin!

Joh 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: “for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins”.

The Apostle John wrote these things by the Holy Spirit.

Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Joh 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

2) Conviction:

There must be an inner conviction that the things that Jesus has said are the complete truth!

Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Joh 16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Joh 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

3) Trust:

As a result of our knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and Holy Ghost conviction that these things are true, then we must place our “trust” in the truth of God, and these things will be settled in our heart.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, “and shalt believe in thine heart” that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

It is our own responsibility to take our knowledge of the Lord Jesus and our inner conviction and then trust in the Word of God!

God will not do this for us!

We must get up close and personal with the Lord!

It all begins with “faith”!

So, how can we describe faith? The Bible has one definition.

*Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.

In this Chapter there are men and women who believed what God has said and the Holy Spirit gave us some of their names.

Without a doubt the key to God having good memories of us depends upon our “faith” in Him!

Here in this chapter of the Book of Hebrews is the only place where the Holy Spirit gives us a definition of “faith”.

In the rest of the Word of God, we get to see examples of those who had great “faith” and those who had little or no “faith”.

“Faith” is the single most important thing we need in our relationship with God!

We will see that without “faith” we cannot please God, and if God is not pleased with us, He will have no part in our lives!

Along with “faith” we must have “hope”!

Our “hope” lies in the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Our “faith” must be in that “hope” and this “faith” must lead to our “faithfulness” to the Lord our Savior.

“Faith” is our act of believing in the truth of the Word of God!

We have “historical faith” in the fact the character of God does not ever change!

What He has done in the past He will do a similar work in the future according to what He has said.

James says:

Jas_2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Jas_2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Jas_2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

This is not works as in working for salvation!

This is the work of faith being Christian in our thoughts, our ways, and our actions.

Our “faith” is meaningless if we are not growing to be more like Jesus Christ and is therefore dead.

We must understand that with our heart we believe unto righteousness.

We must put action to our “faith”!

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Now our heart does not have to see, yet our “faith” knows these things are true as having seen this truth in the actions of those who have done these things.

We cannot be justified without our work of faith!

Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

A work of “faith” is not like obeying some old law!

Rom 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

This is the “faith” that must continue to grow with us, as we grow as Christians, so it is our faith that leads to our growth in sanctification.

Sanctification is the act of being made holy in the eyes of God!

As we grow in Christ, then we need to add to our faith daily, again because our faith lies in the unseen promises of God as if we can see our redemption, which we can!

2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2Pe 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
2Pe 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
2Pe 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
2Pe 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The elders of our faith in time past understood these things.

The elders of our faith also knew of our Creator and our Savior being the same person!

*Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

We know our Lord and Savior is so powerful that He just speaks, and things happen!

We know that our Lord is so powerful that He created all we see and things that we cannot see, out of nothingness.

The very reason there are no creators today, is the fact they cannot create without using something that God has already created.

God is a God of order, and we can only look into the night-time sky and see order in our universe.

We do not see chaos as would have been the case of some Big Bang Theory!

We have a Universe, or some say Cosmos, because “God said” for these things to take place and they took place.

You see, we do not need “a hope so faith” which is in reality meaningless, we need “a know so faith” in order to please our Creator.

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Notice it was “faith” that Abel offered, meaning much more than the sacrifice that He offered to God.

This has been the same since the beginning of the human race!

Any sacrifice to the Lord is meaningless unless it is accompanied with believing “faith”.

Our “faith” is our sacrifice that has meaning to our Savior!

The reward of “faith” is God’s approval of the things we do according to the Word of God!

When God approves us, then God accepts us!

God will never approve us when we go against the Word of God, because this immediately shows our lack of “faith”.

It seems our politicians do not understand this.

You cannot claim Christ Jesus and go against the Word of God! This is sin that is condemned!

I was not here when God created our world, but I know in my heart that He is my Creator and today I know even more, because I know He is my Savior!

You see, it was not the sacrifice of Abel that God remembers, God remembers His “faith”.

God cannot remember anything of Cain because Cain had no faith!

He will hear those dreaded words:

Mat_7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

It is with “faith” that we can see the power of “righteousness”!

The power of faith is what is written in the “Gospel of Jesus Christ”!

Righteousness is the approaching of God, “exactly as He says to approach Him”.

It cannot be done in any other way or fashion!

It cannot be done without the shedding of “Blood” as proven by Abel!

Heb_9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

It is by the shedding of blood by the Lord Jesus Christ that we can obtain righteousness!

This was true in the time of Adam and Eve, and it was just as true when the Lord Jesus shed His blood on Mount Calvary, just so we can be saved, but it is our “faith” that makes this true.

I was not there to see what the Lord has done for me, but by “faith” I know He did this for me:

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Cain may have been religious, but His religion could not save Him!

Most religion is about religion, form, and ceremony and none of these things can make you righteous because they lack “faith”!

They are just mindless rituals!

It is “faith” that gives us the power to have our own daily walk with God and it is faith that will deliver us from the death of the curse because of Adam’s disobedience.

Enoch just believed God, everything God said was ok with Enoch, because He believed every Word God said, and this is exactly what God demands of us all today!

Any disagreement with the Word of God is sin!

Just what does it take to please God? It takes “faith” that the Word of God is true!

It takes “faith” enough to believe that God is exactly who He says He is!

*Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We will never be able to please God if we cannot believe every Word that He has given to us!

God exist just as He says.

God has done everything that has been written of Him!

We must believe we have a Creator!

We will never be acceptable to God if we cannot believe Him!

It is time for those so-called Christians on the border line of faith to understand this!

The Bible is specific!

Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

This is not so hard to understand!

Many people do not understand the word “condemned”

Oh, they love this verse close to it where it says, “for God so loved the world”.

We cannot pick and choose what we believe in the Word of God!

It is an all or nothing Book!

We cannot grow in our “faith” if we have none to begin with!

We must practice that hope mentioned in 11:1.

This is hoping for the things God has promised and them making a personal claim to those things just because God promised them!

We must diligently seek God!

To be diligent is to be seek God until you have found Him, and He is not hard to find for those who believe Him!

Act 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
Act 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
Act 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

We must hunger and thirst after righteousness:

Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

We must ask, we must seek, we must knock:

Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

We must seek the Kingdom of Heaven because it does exist.

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

We must pray and fast, we must persevere in our prayer life!

Mat 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Mat 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Many people pray and pray and pray, never finding the answer to their request, when they do not even have enough “faith” that God can do as He says.

They will never get a prayer answered!

We should understand the greater our need, the greater the time we must spend with our Creator, asking God, conversing with God, listening to God, sharing God, believing God and most important, living for God!

There is always an answer to those who seek God in true “faith”!

The more we stay in touch with God the more our “faith” will grow.

It should be truly clear, God will never reward sinful, carnal trust, nor will He ever reward doubtful trust!

If God did ever answer a prayer for those who doubt Him, then that person would think they could live their lives as they wish, and God will never so this.

God will certainly answer the prayers of the righteous with a believing heart.

Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

God will never answer any prayer that goes against His Word, nor should we expect Him to!

No one can read the Scriptures with attention, without feeling the intensity of God to produce confidence in His “Mercy” and His “Grace”!

To be a Christian, is to show the character of God to the world.

The world should be able to see our “faith” and our “faith” will set us apart from the world we live in!

We must put action to our “faith”!

When we doubt God’s goodness, then we are biting the hand that feeds us!

The work of God is our victory in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we reject this victory, we remain cursed, because we have no “faith” in the truth of God.

We can honestly say that there is really not much faith in this world and in fact when we see all those so-called Churches allowing the immoralities of the world inside the Church, we can truthfully say that there is not much “faith” left in the Church.

Wake Up Church, God’s Word does not ever change!

Now God gives us some examples of “faith”.

*Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

We should pay close attention to the things addressed by Noah.

There was a time in the history of this world when this earth had become so wicked that it was filled with corruption and violence.

Humanity had reached such a sinful level that God simply would not tolerate it and God was left with no choice, but to destroy this wickedness.

There was only one man, on earth who was a godly man, and his name was Noah.

God will never destroy the godly with the wicked, so God warned Noah about the coming “judgment” to this world.

Though many doubt the story of the world-wide flood, it is still the complete truth because God said it was and there is much proof of it today.

There is no place upon this earth that you cannot see signs of this worldwide flood!

This is a place where our faith is so important!

We already know that God had made a promise to His Son Jesus before Jesus created this world.

2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
2Th 2:14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

The world-wide flood happened just as God has said and the evidence proves it!

This is important today because God has said it will happen again.

Not with a world-wide flood, though there certainly be flooding, but this time “with” fire for the exact same reasons and we can see that without a doubt our world is returning to days that were the same in the days of Noah!

Mat_24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Luk_17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

All those with “faith” are expecting this to happen and to happen right after the “Rapture of the Church”

Just as Noah received a warning, the Lord Jesus Christ has warned His Church, but He has also warned this world.

Those without “faith” have been made aware of these things for centuries!

If you do not believe in the world-wide flood, then you are calling the Lord Jesus Christ a liar, and you need the Lord Jesus to be saved.

You are calling the Word of God all lies and you cannot please God so, to those who read this it will be your warning.

After the “Rapture of the Church” you will see a world with all evil, wicked, and immoral people even worse than the days of Noah!

A world that is trying to live by science and corrupt governments, and focused upon pleasure and riches, cannot please God!

*Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Heb 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

Abraham also had a faith that is not even understood today!

Abraham was born Abram in what would now be modern day Iraq and Abram was not a Jew and no Jewish nation even existed in all his days.

God made Himself known to Abram and told Abram to leave his homeland and all his kinfolk and go to a land that Abram was not familiar with.

God made some sincere promises to Abram and today we are still seeing the fulfillment of some of those promises.

What did Abram have that few others had in his day.

Abram had the ability to see God as our Creator and Abram believed all the Word of God given to him.

It never appeared that Abram was a poor man, but only later does it say that because of God’s blessing he would be considered to be a rich man in his day.

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

It may not be spoken of Abraham, but Abraham took his beliefs and shared them with his family and all those with him, and it appears that most all of them believed also.

Abraham might not have known that his wife Sarah would go childless when he married her, but God was well aware, and we see the desire of Abraham to have a child.

Abraham learned a valuable lesson from God, and it was when God makes a promise all we need do is believe it and not doubt what God says and also that God will do what He says and He does not need our help, He just wants us to have faith in His truths.

God told Abraham he would be the father of many nations and Abraham did not yet have a child and he was ninety years old.

Gen 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Gen 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
Gen 17:3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
Gen 17:4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Gen 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Gen 17:6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

1) God would cause a people to be born of the seed of Abraham.
2) God would bless all nations through this seed born of Abraham.
3) God would give Abraham a promised land which in fact was the land of Canaan.

What did God ask of Abraham?

He asks Abraham just to have faith in what was told to him.

Abraham had a decisive, obedient faith.

He obeyed God and did as God ask him to do.

What did Abraham not do?
He did not hesitate.
He did not argue.
He did not question.
He did not waver back and forth.

Note: Abraham did not know where he was going, and this was not important to Abraham.

Abraham did not know where following God would lead him.

Abraham just believed the promises of God, and this is all God asks of us today and God has given to us much more information than what Abraham had.

We should clearly understand, we cannot say we believe God and then live our lives in disobedience!

To be true, no person can know where his faith may lead him, but we must not fear following God!

How did the Lord Jesus Christ put it?

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

You see Abraham was not looking for the things of this earth!

*Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Abraham lived in a tent and a tent does not require a foundation.

Abraham had seen the things that were built in his day and none of them were great masterpieces of construction because man had built them.

Abraham understood much more than we give him credit for!

Abraham could live his life without the things of this world that hold us in peril most all our days.

You see obedience is in our hands and providence is God’s business!

As far as being a witness, we take God’s seed and scatter it where the Holy Spirit is working and God Himself is in charge of all results.

Our job then is simply to obey!

Obedient “faith” is the only way to eternal life and good preachers cannot even preach this message today without making their congregation mad at them so, many do not preach salvation at all.

Obedient “faith” creates a life which many will want to copy. This is why the Lord ask us to live by faith.

This is why the Lord will give more “Grace” to those have “obedient faith”!

By “faith” Abraham gave up the known world and rested on the promises of God!

Abraham was not called because he was any better than others.

Abraham answered the call of God simply because God called him.

1Co 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1Co 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Abraham believed God and God accounted it righteousness for Abraham.

Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

It is the wicked and evil riches of this world that has caused so many to end up in Hell, and Abraham knew if you could see it here, then it would not be in the City of God.

Why was the promise to Abraham so important to us today?

Because the promise God made to Abraham was the promise God made to us all through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

I am not looking forward to seeing Jerusalem here on earth though it would be great to visit the land where Jesus walked.

I am looking forward to seeing the New Jerusalem that is in the City of God!

The same city Abraham was looking for!

*Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

There are great rewards that come by “faith” in the promises of God!

We can be encouraged when we read about these Old Testament saints of God.

We know that God was encouraged because He has written these things down for us.

Their faith was an encouragement to the early Church.

Their faith pointed others to God and still does today.

Their faith was their greatest testimony!

These things are the greatest testimony we can leave behind once we have left this world and joined the Lord in Heaven.

What was this great faith based upon? The future promises of God.

We must get it through our thick skulls that the God’s promises are in the future!

No doubt a Christian life does have its many rewards, but it is our future life where we will reap those greatest rewards.

So, with “faith”, its best blessings are in the future.

Just as with the Old Testament saints the object of our faith is still in our future.

The faith of the Old Testament saints looked forward to the promise of salvation.

The Church looks back to the work that the Lord Jesus has done for our salvation.

We should remember when the Old Testament saints died, they entered into a place called Abraham’s Bosom having to wait for the fulfillment of the Messiah.

Abraham’s Bosom

Before the finished work of the cross, everyone who died and believed in the Messiah went to a separate place in hell known as “Abraham’s bosom”.

This was also referred to as “paradise” in another scripture.

It was separated from Hell by a fixed gulf that could not be crossed by either side!

Just before the Lord Jesus died on the cross with the two thieves, He promised one of them he would meet him in Abrahams Bosom the very same day.

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Luke 23:43 KJV

The bible tells us Jesus descended to the lower depths before He walked with the rest of the saints in town for 40 days.

This means Jesus went into Hell but into Abraham’s Bosom, to free those who believed in him and took them out before he ascended to heaven along with those more than five hundred saints that came out of those graves.

The saint of God that dies today goes directly to be with the Lord having being made perfect at death.

Our death now turns to eternal life in the glory world!

Amen

What Have You Offered the Lord

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Better Sacrifice

Book of Hebrews Chapter 10

The sacrifices under the Old Testament dispensation were all shadowy representations and types of that one great sacrifice of the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, whereby “He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”

We know that these sacrifices came by the Laws of Moses, and they are “types” of the truth of Jesus Christ, but we know that the sacrifice did not begin with the Laws of Moses.

It is in the Garden of Eden in the early days of Adam and Eve where the Law of Obedience to the Word of God was first given!

All the sacrifices in the Old Testament can be considered to be “types” of the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ!

As in all things, it took “Faith” for any sacrifice to be received of God and then it must be a sacrifice true to the Word of God.

Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

For instance “God says thou shalt not kill” so human sacrifice will only bring death to those who murder.

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Heb 11:18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
Heb 11:19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Abraham’s “faith” was in the fact that if God took His son Isaac, then God would have to raise him from that death.

We know that God did not allow the sacrifice of Isaac and He will not allow the sacrifice of any human by those who are Christian.

All vengeance belongs to our Heavenly Father!

The only acceptable sacrifice was the sacrifice of God’s Own Dear Son, Jesus!

Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Heb 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Let us begin Chapter 10 of the Book of Hebrews:

*Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Heb 10:2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
Heb 10:3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
Heb 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

We should understand that there has never been a perfect man!

Every individual will fall short of what they could become if they have not learned obedience to the Word of God!

Humans are lustful and immoral and the proof of this is seen every day in this world.

All this movement called LBJQT is about lust and immorality and rejection of the Word of God!

LGBTQ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning. These terms are used to describe a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

All these things are abomination to the Lord Jesus, but God is willing to forgive even these things but just like all others so full of sin, they must repent after salvation.

God does not expect us to repent before salvation because we just do not have it in us to do so.

God says to come as you are and be saved and then the Holy Spirit will cause us to repent of our old life.

This works the same for every sinner!

It is by the Holy Spirit who will give us the power to repent as we are “Born Again” into something new!

We can never live with God until we are “Born Again”!

If we had to the power to clean our sinful lives ourselves, then we would not need Jesus nor the Holy Spirit and many believe they have it in their own power to do this today and they are so wrong!

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Even in animal sacrifices, those animals had to be pure and flawless, so why should we ever expect God to require less from humans?

1) An animal is not the same nature of a human no matter what evolution teaches.
2) An animal has not the same value of humans in the eyes of God.
3) An animal was not capable of consenting to be a sacrificed or volunteer to be substitute for that human that offered it.

There was no power in the sacrifices of the Old Testament to gain salvation and a fellowship the with God!

There is no power in our own sacrifice of ourselves because it brings our own death, and we would get not one step closer to the Lord.

It is only because of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that we can have New Life!

Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

God knows we believe this when pray the sinner’s prayer!

Hos 14:2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.

Rom_12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

We must be capable of consenting to the fact of our sin before God will hear us!

It is only by the Holy Spirit that comes to live within us after we are saved, that we will have the power to repent!

God had no pleasure at all in the sacrifice of animals especially when the true meaning of those things was ignored!

*Heb 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
Heb 10:6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
Heb 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

The perfect sacrifice for our sin was in a Body specifically prepare by Jehovah God!

Psa 40:6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
Psa 40:7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
Psa 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

It should be obvious, that both the Psalmist and the Holy Ghost inspired writer of the Book of Hebrews, were speaking of the Virgin Born Son of God.

Do not listen to false teachers and preachers who reject the “Virgin Birth”.

The Lord Jesus had to be born of a virgin or his sacrifice would be the same as all those other sacrifices, which is worthless!

He also had to live a perfect life, so that He would be the ideal person to die for our sin!

He also had to be eternal Himself, in order to cover our sins eternally!

Remember Jesus died for all past sin from the day He hung on that Cross and all future sin since that day!

There is a reason His arms were reaching to the East and West of His body!

When God knew that no one person of earth could die for our sin, He came Himself to be the perfect sacrifice!

I am heartbroken to know that Jesus the Messiah had to die just I could be saved!

1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
1Jn 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
1Jn 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1Jn 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

We must understand that God the Holy Spirit has taken the time and with patience to write down all the Word of God, just so we can come to this conclusion.

There is only One Body of Christ!

One in nature.
One in truth.
One in glory.

Jesus was mortal and natural.
Jesus is Supernatural and real.
Jesus is mystical (the Spirit of Jesus) yet magnificent in His truth.

Paul by the Holy Spirit wrote:

Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We must understand that the Lord Jesus Christ had to do the Will of God, or He too would have been a false Messiah!

The Lord Jesus Christ took away the First Covenant by fulfilling it, so He could establish the New Covenant!

Notice that verse 7 should have been in Red Letters because this is Jesus speaking, though by the Holy Spirit!

*Heb 10:8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Heb 10:9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

Because the Lord Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice and the sacrifices of the Law were imperfect, then those sacrifices became useless!
,
This what the Scriptures above have proved.

The sacrifices of the Law were powerless to remove sin because of a lack of faith!

The removal of sin would take a perfect sacrifice!

God loves His created beings, and it is God’s will that as many as will believe be saved.

1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

The Lord Jesus came to do the will of His Father!

This is the same thing that our Heavenly Father expects from us, to do His will for us!

The fulfilling of the will of God is spoken of as a substitute for sacrifices.

The Divine will of God is our redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ and is perfectly fulfilled by Him!

No other sacrifice will work and there is no other way to approach God, but by His Only Begotten Son!

*Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The perfect sacrifice, the offering of the body of Christ, makes people holy once-and-for-all.

This work of the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly satisfied the holiness, the righteousness, and the justice of God once-for all!

When a person comes to God by the Lord Jesus Christ, the sacrifice of Christ Jesus is applied to that person and covers all that person’s sins!

Only then, can we have a complete fellowship with our Heavenly Father, all because of the work Jesus Christ did for us!

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

All the shame that comes from our sinful lives will be removed, because we can be at peace with our Creator.

Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Our sin could never be removed by some earthly priest nor the sacrifices that they offered!

*Heb 10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

The earthly priests were never done with their work.

Our Heavenly High Priest has completed His sacrifice, by making one sacrifice that last forever!

The Lord Jesus gave His own life willingly, that we could be reconciled to His Heavenly Father!

1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

*Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Heb 10:13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

The fact of the matter is, that after completing the work He came to do, the Lord Jesus Christ is now at this time, sitting at the right hand of God.

He would not be in this place if His work were not finished!

He accomplished these things because He obeyed!

No matter how much we think we know about our Heavenly Father, the most important thing we can do is to obey Him no matter what He ask of us!

Remember God will never ask us to do unreasonable things!

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

How long will the Lord Jesus Christ be sitting at the throne of God?

He will sit there until God the Father has separated the goats from the sheep!

This is what is going on in our world today!

The Lord Jesus Christ has already taken away our sin and now He is in place to deliver us from sin, from the evil in this world, from disease, from corruption, from death, from evil spirits, and from Satan.

We will find none of these things in Heaven!

These things are reaching their peak today as we have seen and continue to see!

He will deliver those who love Him eternally!

Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Those old sacrifices could do none of these things!

*Heb 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Heb 10:15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
Heb 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
Heb 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Notice it is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that has caused our sanctification!

To be sanctified is to be set apart to God!
To be sanctified is to be made holy!
To be sanctified is to be consecrated, dedicated to the service and the worship of the One True God!

Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

1Co 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
1Co 1:3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1Co 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Amen

Greater Things Lie Ahead for Those Who Love the Lord

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Better Sanctuary

Book of Hebrews Chapter 9

As we study the Book of Hebrews, we are learning that the New Covenant is far better than the Old Covenant.

The sanctuary in the Old Covenant was the Tabernacle and later on the Temple, which was built similar to the Tabernacle in design.

What was the purpose of the Tabernacle?

1) The Tabernacle provided a way for God to dwell in the midst of the nation of Israel.

Exo 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

This sanctuary was called the Holy of Holies and only the High Priest could enter this place and then, only once a year.

Today upon our own salvation, we become that Holy of Holies as the Holy Spirit moves into our hearts.

2) The Tabernacle provided a way for God to reveal His glory.

Exo 40:34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Exo 40:35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

3) The Tabernacle provided a way for sinful people to approach God because it was the center of sacrificial worship.

Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

4) The Tabernacle was a reminder of the separation of our Holy God from sinful people.

5) The Tabernacle was built in anticipation of the redemption in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Heb 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

The entire Tabernacle worship system reminded the nation of Israel that a Mediator was necessary to approach God!

They had a need to learn that no one can approach God without a Mediator!

They found that God is holy, and His holiness demands moral and upright people to serve Him.

This was the reason for the Ten Commandments!

The Ten Commandments are our Schoolmaster!

They learned that God cares for His people and would dwell with them under certain conditions.

They learned that “blood” was important to worship this Holy God.

They should have learned that the Levitical priesthood was pointing ahead to a Mediator, who would once and for all reconcile sinful people to a Holy God!

They also should have learned that when God makes covenants, He will keep them!

That when God makes promises, He will not break them.

That when God makes an oath, He will follow through with it.

That God means what He says and also says what He means!

They should also have learned that far greater things lie ahead for those who love God and are obedient to Him!

*Heb 9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
Heb 9:2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.

We should understand that there are rules that must be observed if, we want to be acceptable to God, God being the Lord Jesus Christ!

There are some rules that must be observed if we want to have fellowship with God!

Today we understand that according to the perfect Word of God, it is only by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that we can gain access to Heaven’s Tabernacle!

The tabernacle of Moses was an earthly sanctuary or tabernacle, and it was set aside for the worship of God, but it was only an earthly sanctuary.

Heaven’s sanctuary is served by the Lord Jesus Christ who provides all good things.

Jas_1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

The Tabernacle of Moses was of God and was made according to the Tabernacle in Heaven.

Heb 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

There are many things that we need to understand about that Tabernacle.

The walls of white linen symbolized the righteousness and the holiness of God.

Our Savior, the Lord Jesus, is set apart from this world!

When we look at our Savior, we must see that He dwells in “righteousness” and “holiness” and He cannot change His ways and still be God!

When we attempt to approach God, we must approach Him in “reverence” and “awe” of His “majesty” and His “power”.

We must approach Him in “adoration” and in “worship”.

We must approach God in thankfulness.

We must approach God with our praise of Him!

We just do not praise God as we should, and it is evident in the modern Church!

It is the Lord Just Christ that fulfilled the symbolism of those white linen walls!”

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

There was only one entrance to this earthly Tabernacle.

It was made of fined twined linen and was blue, purple, and scarlet representing the robes Jesus wore at His false trial.

That door taught us that there is only one way to enter into God’s presence. There are not several ways as the world would have you believe.

God has to be approached even though it is He who will first call you.

No person can live with God unless they approach God!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who fulfilled the symbolism of this door!

Joh 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus Christ fulfilled the symbolism of the “Brazen Altar”!

Mar 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Jesus Christ fulfilled the symbolism of the “Brazen Laver”!

Joh 13:8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

Then there was the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle.

*Heb 9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
Heb 9:5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

There were distinct parts of this Sanctuary which symbolized the distinct parts in our approach to God.

**Jesus Christ fulfilled the symbolism of the walls and the roof.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

**Jesus Christ fulfilled the symbolism the veil or the curtain.

The outer veil taught us that a person cannot rush into the presence of God.

We are to never disrespect to our Holy God! This is lacking so much in most Churches today!

There is only one way into the “deeper things” of God!

There are deeper things we must know of our God than just making a sacrifice and the forgiveness of our sin.

We must worship in Spirit and Truth with this deeper knowledge of our Savior!

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Joh 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Joh 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

**Jesus Christ fulfilled the symbolism of the candlestick or the lampstand.

We all need light and illumination in order to know and to serve God!

Without the light of Christ we would remain in pitch darkness that comes by this world we live in, and we would be unable to serve the Lord or even to know Him.

2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

**The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the symbolism of the Table of Shewbread.

The knowledge of our Savior is the “Bread of Life” in this world!

He is the nourishment upon which we are to feed upon.

Joh 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

**The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the symbolism of the Altar of Incense.

The “Altar of Incense” symbolized our prayers that have reached into Heaven.

Prayers are an especially important part of our worship!

We can have no relationship with our Savior without prayer!

Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

**There was also an inner veil to the Holy of Holies and the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the symbolism of this inner veil.

This inner veil taught that fellowship and communion with God Himself is the supreme act of worship.

Christ and Christ alone is the way to have fellowship with the Almighty God!

It is much more than just a head knowledge!

Our relation to God must be up close and personal!

Do not say you are worshipping God and then, be unable to enter this inner veil!

Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Heb 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

*Heb 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
Heb 9:8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
Heb 9:9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

The “Ark of the Covenant” was built like a trunk out of acacia wood and covered with gold.

The lid on top of the Ark was called the “Mercy Seat”.

**It is at the “Seat of Mercy” where we meet with the Lord and not the “seat of God’s wrath” whom the world will meet.

Exo 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Isa 37:16 O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.

The Ark contained three items.

1) The broken tables of the law.

Deu 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
Deu 9:10 And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.

Deu 10:5 And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the LORD commanded me.

2) The golden pot of manna.

Exo 16:32 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.
Exo 16:33 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.
Exo 16:34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.

3) Aaron’s rod

Num 17:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
Num 17:11 And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.

Notice this rod of Aaron could have been no longer than the length of the Ark of testimony which makes it a different rod than the rod of Moses.

**The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the symbolism of the “Ark of the Covenant”!

1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1Jn 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

When the Lord Jesus Christ returns, we will not need symbolism for we will see the Lord in His perfect truth!

*Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

We should also understand that even in Heaven, when we are in that Heavenly Tabernacle, we will be expected to worship God our Savior.

If you do not like to worship now, you would not like to worship in Heaven!

There will be many differences:

1) The Heavenly Sanctuary will have a “perfect” High Priest.

The High Priest of Heaven is not a man but is the Son of God!
He is perfect and He is also eternal, and He will always be the High Priest of Heaven!

Heb 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

Heb 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

2) The worship in that Heavenly Sanctuary will be “spiritual” and it will be “perfect”!

In it, we will be led by the Lord Jesus, the Son of God in the very presence of God.

On earth we are imperfect beings, but in Heaven we will also be perfect.

3) The Heavenly Sanctuary and worship will have a perfect sacrifice.

There will be no animals sacrificed.
There will be no human sacrificed.
There will be no sacrifices at all!

God has already sacrificed Himself, so no other sacrifice would have any meaning.

There will no more sacrifice because there will be no more sin!

On earth, we could not escape sin, death, and condemnation, but in that Heavenly Sanctuary these things do not exist!

4) The Heavenly Sanctuary and Worship is for saved people only. The Heavenly Sanctuary is a place for those who are pure!

Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

You see these things are the good things to come, because there is nothing good upon this earth but God!

1Jn 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
1Jn 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

Amen

A Covenant With God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Better Covenant

Book of Hebrews Chapter 8

By understanding the Old Covenant compared to the New Covenant we can better understand the work that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for our salvation, so we have no work to do, but to believe in the work that Jesus has done for us.

Our faith must be based upon the Lord Jesus Christ!

We should understand that the Old Testament speaks of a Covenant of Works where humans had to do all the work, whereas the New Testament speaks of the Covenant of Grace where the Lord Jesus Christ has already completed all the work necessary for our salvation.

God did make a covenant of works with Adam.

Adam was told to obey God and he was promised eternal life for obedience, and eternal death for disobedience.

Adam failed because of disobedience and death entered the human race! Race meaning all humanity lumped into one group.

The Bible does not speak of any differences in the color of the skin as having any benefit or loss of benefits in the Word of God.

A works doctrine has no chance of pleasing God!

We cannot ever be good enough to enter into Heaven’s Gates!
We cannot ever do enough “good” work to please God!

There is no such thing as “our good” having to outweigh “our bad” before God will allow us in Heaven!

We have no goodness within us to begin with!

Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; “there is none that doeth good, no, not one”.

Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) “dwelleth no good thing”: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

There is no amount of goodness that can reconcile us our Heavenly Father!

God solved this problem with His Covenant of Grace through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!

The entire world has been under the Covenant of Works which is actually a Covenant of Death since the time of Adam!

Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof “thou shalt surely die”.
As a result of Adam’s failure, God entered into a Covenant of Grace through which the problem of sin and death would be overcome forever!

God knew there would never be a perfect human!

Only God could provide the solution to this problem because it was God who made that covenant with Adam.

God made this solution because of His promises such as the one He made with Abraham.

Gal 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, “the law”, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, “that it should make the promise of none effect”.
Gal 3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, “it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise”.

Abraham came before the Law that was given to Moses which was a works covenant.

There is no life at all that can come by a works covenant because a works covenant becomes a covenant of death!

It is only by the “Gospel of Jesus Christ”, that the substance of God’s “Grace” is revealed!

The “Covenant of Works” could only be a “Covenant of Life,” “when obedience is perfect” which is impossible for the human being!

You See, God entered into a covenant with Adam as the head of the human race and it was up to Adam to fulfill his side of the covenant, but Adam failed.

Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The Apostle Paul once a devout Jew realized the truth of this covenant with Adam.

Rom 7:8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
Rom 7:9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
Rom 7:10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.
Rom 7:11 “For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me”.

You see, without that law being given to Adam, then there would be no death!

Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them”.
Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, “The just shall live by faith”.
Gal 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, “being made a curse for us”: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; “that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith”.

The penalty for disobedience to that covenant of works is stated in the term “die”!

Does God still demand perfect obedience of humans just as He did Adam?

Lev 18:5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: “which if a man do, he shall live in them”: I am the LORD.

Repeated in the New Testament.

Rom 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, “That the man which doeth those things shall live by them”.

The thing that so many get confused about, is the fact that this obligation of mankind has been fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ!

God made this covenant with His Son before the human race existed!

2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, “because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth”:
2Th 2:14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, “to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, “which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began”,
2Ti 1:10 “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ”, “who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel”:

1Pe 1:2 Elect “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father”, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

Our all-knowing God the Father planned our “redemption” before He created the human race.

God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ would provide this “redemption” through His own “atoning” death, through the regenerating and the sealing of each believer which makes salvation according to our own faith and not by works!

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world”, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7 In whom “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace”;
Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9 “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will”, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, “being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will”:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth”, “the gospel of your salvation”: in whom also “after that ye believed”, “ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise”,

These things are not so hard to understand if we would just read the Word of God that He has given to us!

God says we must diligently study the Word of God!

Our lesson states:

*Heb 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken “this is the sum”: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Heb 8:2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
Heb 8:3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
Heb 8:4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
Heb 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

We should clearly understand that there are qualifications for any priest, pastor, bishop, Pope or anyone else who stands before God for humanity!

God had certain conditions that had to be met if there were to be the Perfect High Priest!

1) Heb 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
Heb 3:2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

2) Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Heb 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

3) Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

4) Heb 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

5) Heb 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

6) Heb 5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
Heb 5:6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

7) Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Heb 5:10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

8) Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

9) Heb 7:16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

10) Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

11) Heb 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken “this is the sum”: “We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Heb 8:2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man”.

No one, but the Lord Jesus Christ was able to meet all these qualifications!

You see this is the sum of the Book of Hebrews and the sum of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

This is the chief point of the Book of Hebrews and in fact of all the Word of God!

Jesus Christ is the Sovereign Majesty of this universe!

Jesus Christ is the High Priest of the only proper place to worship in this universe!

Jesus Christ is the High Priest of Heaven!

Jesus Christ is the One in Heaven who can also reach each saint of God here upon this earth!

Jesus Christ is not in Heaven selfishly enjoying the great wonders of His creation.
Jesus Christ is not in Heaven soaking up all His glory.

Jesus Christ is in Heaven listening to and hearing the cries of His people and ministering to their needs, just as He always has!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is putting to end the murder of innocent babies answering prayers of the many who have prayed for this end.

It is a shame and disgrace that our own government insist on the continuation of the murder of the unborn child.

The EU is even worst in every category of sin and proud of it!

Jesus Christ is actively looking after the true sanctuary in Heaven!

This is the same place where God sits upon His throne!

Isa 41:9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
Isa 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isa 41:11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who offered the ultimate sacrifice, Himself, for our sins!

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”;
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Tit 2:15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Jesus Christ was not born to be the High Priest of this world!

He will be King of kings when He returns!

Jesus Christ is the High Priest of Heaven!

Our job is to lead people to Heaven to the true High Priest for only He can save!

No one upon this earth has the power to pronounce you saved, it is a God thing that only Christ Jesus can accomplish!

Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

If we are just looking for a sanctuary upon this earth, then we are not committed to the High Priest of Heaven!

Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Minister of the New Covenant which is a Superior Covenant!

*Heb 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. (The theme of our lesson today)

We see that this is a covenant God was made with His Son and humanity’s one part is to believe! (faith)

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who stands between humanity and the Almighty God, with the Lord Jesus Christ “the express image of God”, our Mediator.

This is why it is called “Grace”!

Jesus the Messiah has negotiated this covenant with His Father without the interference of mankind and it will remain this way!

It is the Almighty God who chose His Son for this role, and it was the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ who fulfilled His role, and is continuing to fulfill His role, as our Mediator and our High Priest.

It is easy to see that this covenant is founded upon better promises!

The Old Covenant (The Law) was a covenant of death because no one could keep all those old laws!

Those old laws could not bring about reconciliation!

The Law cannot make us holy!
The Law cannot make us acceptable to God!
The Law cannot provide a personal experience with the Almighty God!
The Law cannot teach us the love and the mercy of God!

Heb 7:19 For the law “made nothing perfect”, “but the bringing in of a better hope did”; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

Only Jesus Christ can make us perfect in the eyes of a Loving God!

The first covenant, the covenant of Law, was full of faults because it was a covenant of works!

*Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

The New Covenant eliminates the weaknesses of the Old Covenant!

If we look closely, we can see where God the Holy Spirit begins speaking. (Look for the word “I”).

It is God Himself who points out the weakness of that Old Covenant!

If we cannot believe God, then how can we expect His “Mercy” or His “Grace”!

Note: If the Old Covenant can reveal sin, but does not offer a way remove sin, then that covenant is useless!

Any Covenant that fails to meet the needs of the sinner is a Covenant of Death!

If the Old Covenant could provide a way for forgiveness, then there would have been no need for the Lord Jesus to die!

It is God who decided all these things!

These things make the Word of God gathered together in what we call the Bible the greatest book that could exist!

The New Covenant now becomes the “Good News” to the sinner because the Gospel makes a way for forgiveness because we have a “merciful” and “loving” God who wants each sinner to know this truth!

This is God’s plan of salvation not man’s plan!

The New Covenant is vastly different from the Old Covenant because our death is now just the doorway to eternal life!

Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

We should know that God does not regard anyone who rejects His Covenants!

God’s New Covenant is in effect for the Church but not for Israel at this time though it will be after they see the wrath of God.

Remember Israel is right now blind to the Gospel!

Rom 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
Rom 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

That “unto this day” would mean the day the Apostle Paul had authored the Book of Romans, and it is still in the future, when they too will believe the “Gospel” of Jesus Christ.

*Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

After those days would be after the Church Age and the seven years of Tribulation which Israel will go through, but not the Church.

We must understand that the New Covenant of God is an inward power that did not exist until the Holy Spirit moved into our heart!

The heart that belongs to the Lord will then, sow righteousness into the mind of the believer!

When the blinders have been removed from Israel, they too can be “Born Again” into the family of God!

This of course is speaking of Israel as a nation and not the individual.

Every individual that hears the Gospel and the Holy Spirit cause conviction can be saved.

Salvation is a work brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit on earth!

Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Joh 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

That New Covenant of course is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Joh 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

None can be acceptable to God without a new heart and a new mind and again we see the importance of repentance!

Repentance may not be preached in the Church anymore, but it is still a requirement even in this time of “Grace”!

With a new heart and mind comes a desire to follow and obey God!

We will be stirred to show God the same love He has shown to us!

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

God Himself says He will God to each believer!

We that believe are God’s children which means:

1) We can have fellowship with God.
2) We can pray and know our prayer will be heard.
3) We can call on God because we know of His “Mercy” and His “Grace”.
4) We will have God’s provision and protection.
5) We can have the power of the Holy Spirit to battle temptation and trials and have victory over them.

There is so much more that comes from a personal relationship with our Savior!

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

There is power in having a personal relationship with God!

There is no need for a human priest to make contact with Heaven!

As the Scripture says: We can boldly go into the throne room of God, we simply better be humble when we get there!

When we get to Heaven, we can know God face to face and live forever!

We can now approach God through His Son Jesus!

We can know, it is not just the nation of Israel, who still wear the blinders, that God will accept us, as He accepts all nations, all races, and all peoples, rich or poor.

As believers we can know the power of “forgiveness”!

The forgiveness of sins is the basis for all the promises of God!

God also directs each of us to be just as forgiving as He is forgiving!

The forgiveness of God is based upon the “mercy” of God!

We are not forgiven because of some law, but we are forgiven by the “Grace” of God, through the Lord Jesus Christ!

We can be saved if we believe the Lord Jesus Christ died in payment for our sins!

Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

When God says He will remember our sins no more He means it!

God has removed our sin as far as the distance from the east to the west which is infinite!

Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

When God says forgiveness, then it is a perfect forgiveness, because He is perfect in all His ways!

When God replaces one covenant with another covenant, then that Old Covenant is ready to vanish away!

*Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

God would not have made a New Covenant if He intended to keep the Old Covenant!

Does this mean we can tear out the Old Testament from the Bible?

No, all Scripture is for our learning!

2Ti_3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

It is Scripture of the Old Covenant that teaches us what is sin and that we are all guilty of sin.

It is Scripture that teaches us about faith!

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

The Lord Jesus Christ did not come to destroy the Old Covenant, but He did come to fulfill all of the Old Covenant therefore making it useless.

Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

In fact all the Word of God will be fulfilled just as it is written!

Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Col 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Praise God for making a way for us to be near to Him throughout eternity!

Amen

Jesus Christ Offers to us A Better Priesthood

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Better Priesthood

Book of Hebrews Chapter 7

Melchizedek is a character in the Bible we know truly little about.

The name Melchizedek (in the Old testament) has the meaning of “the righteous king”.

Melchizedek, the same person, but spelled differently (in the New Testament) has the meaning “priest of the Most-High God”.

He claimed to be the king of Salem when he went forth to meet Abraham.

Remember Abraham had gone forth to save Lot who had been kidnapped by King Chedorlaomer and his band of kings.

He met Abraham in the “valley of kings” and brought to him and his men “bread and wine” and blessed Abraham and his men and Abraham paid this royal priest a tenth of the spoils of that war.

Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
Gen 14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
Gen 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

The Bible in the Book of Psalams, but especially this Book of Hebrews, tells us the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, would be a Priest after the order of this man Melchizedek.

Psa 110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Psa 110:2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
Psa 110:3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
Psa 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Psa 110:5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
Psa 110:6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
Psa 110:7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

Notice this Melchizedek would have a priesthood higher than that of the priesthood of Aaron!

Notice also, that this Melchizedek is recognized as higher than Abraham who was the “friend of God”.

He brought bread and wine which reminds us of the Lord’s Supper.

Melchizedek is not mentioned again in the in the Old Testament until about one thousand years later when David who would be king writes about the coming Messiah here in this Book of Psalms.

David understood by the Holy Spirit, that the Messiah would be both High Priest and King of Jerusalem, King of all kings.

After another thousand years we, have the writer of the Book of Hebrews again by the Holy Spirit referring to this Melchizedek.

For this to happen, then the Levitical priesthood would be abolished with the coming of the Messiah.

The Lord Jesus, the Messiah, whose work brings Him to be Prophet, Priest, and King and we desperately need Him in each of those functions because of the terrible ignorance that results from sin, we need someone to teach us, and it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Author of our salvation!

This is where we pick up this great prophecy in Chapter 7 of the Book of Hebrews.

*Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Heb 7:1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

We might ask ourselves, “what is so important with Jesus Christ being High Priest after the order of Melchizedek”?

The real importance of this passage is prophecy that will be fulfilled and is partially fulfilled right now.

Our Lord Jesus has not failed to accomplish what He has set out to do, He is just much more patient than we are!

2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

If we look back to the 110th Psalm, we see King David writing a song celebrating the complete victory of the Messiah over the entire power of evil.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the true Messiah, will hold every office of God, including that of High Priest and King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the right hand of God, the right hand of Power and will remain there until it is time to be our Redeemer.

Act 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Act 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Act 2:35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
Act 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

The Apostles clearly understood, and this is the message they have given to us, a message of “Victory”.

The Apostle John wrote:

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Rev 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

We must understand that the Lord Jesus will remain at the right hand of God until the purposes of God have been fulfilled in this age, the Church Age!

He is still our High Priest and our Advocate and our soon coming King!

We should utterly understand what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Churches!

The Lord Jesus will remain at the right hand of the Throne in Heaven only until His enemies have been made the footstool for His feet!

This is not a prophecy of the world turning toward the Church, this is a prophecy that says our Heavenly Father will make the enemies the footstool of our Lord Jesus.

When might we ask?

We know the Lord Jesus will not deal with His enemies during this time of “Grace” or it would not be Grace!

We also know there will be a time of great vengeance from the Lord!

But when Apostacy has reached its peak throughout the world.

When the political world has caused lawlessness and the manifestation of the man of sin.

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

It amazes me that we have more government and yet we have more lawlessness, and it has always been this way!

Politicians never learn because it threatens their job and their means to get rich!

No doubt the King of kings will one day rule his world from Jerusalem!

Abraham recognized the importance of all these things!

*Heb 7:2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
Heb 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

The Bible describes the typology of Melchizedek.

Abraham saw the King of Righteousness.
Abraham saw the King of Peace and they were in the same person.

So, in the Lord Jesus Christ, righteousness and peace will be joined together!

So, it will also be in all those who believe in Him!

It is a fact, that there can be no peace until there is a world of righteousness!

Psa 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Psa 85:11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Abraham saw the Priest of the Most-High God who was also King!

The Bible does not say that Abraham was the only one who worshipped God during this era, but he certainly would have shown great joy in meeting someone else who did worship the Most-High God as did he.

We already know that Jehovah is never without those who love Him.

What did He teach Elijah?

1Ki 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

We also know that “Job” may have lived at near the same time of Abraham.

The importance of Abraham ties into the importance of Israel as a nation!

Notice that this Melchizedek showed up unexpectedly.

We are shown nothing about his life except that he worshipped the Most-God, and this is the most important thing that can be said about any of us who love the Lord Jesus.

There is nothing about his life, his birth, his death, or his descent and all these things can be said about Jehovah.

He just simply arrives just as Jehovah appeared to Abraham and Moses.

He brings bread and wine the ingredients of the Lord’s Supper.

He blessed Abraham and then vanished just as quickly as He came.

Abraham considered this Melchizedek to be a great man.

*Heb 7:6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.
Heb 7:7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

This Melchizedek was greater than Abraham because Abraham paid tithes to him.

Abraham realized his greatness and we should realize the greatness of our Savior and Our God who is the Most-High God!

Abraham understood how great where the blessings of this Priest who was also King of Peace.

What do we learn from these things?

1) We do not have to approach God through some priest or an earthly priesthood such as a Pope or any other such person.
2) We know there is a much greater priesthood than earthly priests.
3) To show us earthy religion and earthly priests are inadequate to represent man before God.
4) To show that God has provided a much better priesthood.
5) To teach us that there is now the perfect and an eternal priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ!

What does this mean to the believer?

*Heb 7:23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:
Heb 7:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is eternal because He is God!

Jesus Christ lives forever.
Jesus Christ has an endless life.
Jesus Christ is the perfect and eternal Priest who lives forever and willing to share His life with us!

Jesus Christ makes us acceptable to the Most-High God because He is the Most-High God!

It is because of all these things that Jesus Christ is able and also willing to save us if we have faith in His work and repent of our old lifestyle!

The Lord Jesus Christ offers to us a complete and a perfect salvation!

He has a perfect forgiveness!
He has the perfect power to accomplish these things!

The Lord Jesus Christ lives to make intercession for those who love Him!

In Jesus Christ we see the perfect “love of God”, but also the perfect “justice” of God!

It is in the Lord Jesus Christ that we see God’s willingness to provide a means of salvation for all those under the curse of Adam

The Lord Jesus Christ the perfect “God-Man” now stands before the throne of God having born the “Justice” and the “Judgment of God” for all those who failed because of sin, but still willing to believe and accept the truth of God!

The Lord Jesus has saved us to the uttermost!

He has saved us from sin, death, and condemnation!

Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

He has saved us to live with God forever!

Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He saves us to be the citizens of the New Heaven and the New Earth.

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

You know, if we step back and look at our world today, we could say we are on the verge of this happening.

He saves us to rule and reign with Him throughout eternity.

1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Luk 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
Luk 12:43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Luk 12:44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

Luk 22:28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.
Luk 22:29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;

You cannot be any of these things unless you come to God by the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no other way nor other means to get to God’s New Heaven!

Heb 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

The Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest who lived a perfect life!

There is no other who meets these qualifications in any religion!

When we think, we can get to Heaven by the work of some imperfect man we have ignored the Word of God that says this is impossible.

Only God makes salvation possible for sinful men and sinful women and sinful children!

Jesus Christ is Holy, set apart and separated to God!

He is separated from sin and from all evil, and from all immoral, wicked, and lawless behavior, the things we see prevalent in our world today.

Jesus Christ is harmless! Meaning not evil, free from guile, deception, envy, and malice against anyone, but the very things that we see in all our world today.

Jesus Christ is undefiled! He is unstained by sin as is the New Heaven. As will be the New Earth. As will be the New Jerusalem.

Jesus Christ is separate from sinners. He is different from sinners. Jesus Christ has never sinned.

Jesus Christ has never yielded to temptation!

Jesus Christ is “Higher than the Heavens!

Jesus Christ raised Himself from the dead never to die again!
Jesus Christ went back to Heaven in a bodily form.
Jesus Christ alone is exalted to the right hand of God as the Supreme Lord of all His creation!

1Pe 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

*Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

It is only Jesus Christ who could offer the perfect sacrifice for our sin, which was Himself.

The High Priest of the Jews could only offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people once a year and then only after they had offered a sacrifice for their own sin.

The regular priests offered sins daily for those who came to confess their sin.

That one day the High Priests offered was the “Day of Atonement”.

I can honestly tell you that my “Day of Atonement” was the day I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior because It is He who offered the perfect sacrifice for my sin!

Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

*Heb 7:28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

Jesus Christ is the High Priest with a perfect appointment.

No mere man can say this or if they do, they are deceiving themselves and all those who follow them!

It is only the Lord Jesus Christ who can fulfill the Word of God because He is the Word of God in the flesh.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the One sent down from Heaven for the purpose of saving created man.

You see if you believe there is a God and there is just One, then you have better believe this God has a plan to save His greatest creation, the human, and this plan is centered around the Lord Jesus Christ.

God, Jehovah, sent His own Son to perfect us and to give us eternal life and the glorious privilege to live with Him throughout eternity!

Sounds impossible but it is Biblical Truth!

Amen

Our Hope Must Be in the Lord

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Book of Hebrews Chapter 6

What is hope? Hope is a desire for something that is good along with some expectation of obtaining it.

We should understand that our hope as Christians, Christian is being like Jesus Christ as the example He has given to us, our hope is in the promises of God.

The Bible is our proof that God never breaks His promises.

We can have hope in the promises of God with our confidence, that what God has done in the past God will do in the future, because God says He does not ever change His character.

In the Old Testament:

Mal 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I change not”; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

In the New Testament:

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, “with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”.

Heb 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever”.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the God of Hope!

Rom 15:13 Now “the God of hope” fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

As Christians, our hope lies in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ whom we know is the “express image of God”, like God in every way.

Luk 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Luk 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luk 24:48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
Luk 24:49 And, behold, “I send the promise of my Father upon you”:

We have assurance of hope:

1) Because of what was done through the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

2) Because the Lord Jesus Christ sent the Comforter to live within us.

Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

We should ask ourselves, “how can we not have hope in the promises of God”?

*Heb 6:11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
Heb 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

The full assurance of “hope” lies in our future glory as we will be like the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

The full assurance of “faith” lies in the fact that we have been pardoned!

Isa 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, “for he will abundantly pardon”.

We see that “repentance” is necessary to receive a pardon!

Repentance is:

A complete change of mind.
A complete change of direction.
A complete knowledge of our true purpose.
Along with true sense of our own guilt and sinfulness!

It is in our best interest that we be diligent to love the Lord till the very end!

You see there is going to be “an end”!

There will be “an end” to our hope once our salvation has been fulfilled.

If we are “diligent” in living for Christ, He will be just as diligent to make sure we get to our new home in Heaven!

When we have one foot in the Church and the other foot in the World will never have that assurance that comes by the “Grace of God”!

To be slothful, is to be a lazy Christian!

To be slothful, is a danger to every Christian, the answer to being slothful is being “diligent”!

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We need to be “diligent” to study the Word of God.
We need to be “diligent” to pray.
We need to be “diligent” to be a witness for Jesus Christ!
We need to be “diligent” in our love for our Savior!

2Pe 3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
2Pe 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation

To be with Christ Jesus is to be more alive than we could think was possible!

*Heb 6:13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
Heb 6:14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
Heb 6:15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

It seems like it has been every week lately that we learn of another of our brothers and sisters who have gone on Home ahead of us to be with the Lord.

We sometimes mourn when we should be rejoicing because we have that same yearning to be with them.

You see when our bodies reach death’s door, it is at this time that we see the true meaning of life, because we will have inherited the promises of God!

Those who have gone before us are not dead, they are alive, and more alive than they could have been here upon this earth!

They are now living the perfect life.

Probably the greatest example of this truth on this earth, is Abraham.

God made a sure promise of a son to Abraham, a child through which a great nation of people would be born.

All Abraham had to do was believe what God had said to him, go to where God said to go, and live as God said to live!

Abraham did as God instructed and him even though his faith was not perfect, God fulfilled His promise with Isaac even though Sarah and Abraham were far beyond childbearing years.

This was not the true promise that God intended:

Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Rom 4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
Rom 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Rom 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Rom 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

The promise God was making was that from the lineage of Abraham would come the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

The land promised to Abraham was the area called Palestine, but the spiritual application is the true Promised Land which is the New Heaven!

The important thing is the Abraham believed the promises of God and therefore inherited the promises of God.

There has certainly been a nation of people who believe and follow God just as did Abraham.

Today they are called Christians, because they are trying to be more like Jesus Christ than of being like Abraham.

Abraham endured many things in his lifetime because being a true follower of God may be easy, but the world will do its best to make it hard!

Many characters in the Bible are our examples of true Christians, but there are also many examples who we see in the Church today.

Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Why did God go to so much trouble to teach us these things?

He wanted a people who are not full of doubt!

*Heb 6:16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
Heb 6:17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

God knows that our world would grow so evil and wicked that it would be hard for some to trust Him!

We see these things happening before our very eyes today!

As we have seen over the history of the world and even in simple agreements people will swear by an “oath”.

Many times that oath will be upon the name of some person not involved.

Some swear on their mother’s name, some even on a child’s name, and some on the name of some great person in history.

We should understand that an oath in a religious manner, is lawful under the Gospel or this writer would never have mentioned it and the Holy Spirit would not have allowed it in this fashion.

An oath in reality, is in the fact that God is listening, and that oath is to Him as a witness.

In the Bible, an oath is also called a vow.

God is profoundly serious about vows and oaths:

Deu_23:21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
Deu_23:22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.

Ecc_5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Ecc_5:5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

Sadly, vows are not of great concern to most today and our government has never been able to keep them!

Just ask the Native Americans but not just to them.

If you want to hear many vows, just wait until our next election and you will hear so many it will make you sick and most of them have no intention of keeping them.

Divorces happen over broken vows!

Peace is obtained and broken over vows!

Many a sinner have made vows to our Savior and so many of us fail to keep them.

In all of them, we can be sure God is listening!

Here we see that God has made certain vows and He always keeps His promises, His vows, His oaths, and all the Word of God!

2Ti 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

It is impossible for God to break His vows and His promises!

1Th 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

God cannot change and still be God!

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not;

It is impossible for God not to be God!

*Heb 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
Heb 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

With so many suicides happening today, we can conclude the we humans cannot live without hope!

Without hope, most people find no reason to live!

When we indoctrinate our young people at an early age and they find that out, they see the world for what it is and it removes their hope.

When false churches teach their lies and people find them to be liars, some will give up believing there is no hope.

It is only the true God and His Word that can give us the hope we need to stay faithful till the very end!

Rom 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Rom 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

When we have hope in our salvation, we have no fear of death and leave that in the hands of God, who is the giver and the taker of life!

God will fulfill all His promises and He does not need anyone to help Him!

My hope in God is my refuge, my shelter, and my protection from danger, from distress, and from my enemies!

God gives us the picture of a mighty ship caught in a terrible storm desperately seeking a safe harbor to drop its anchor.

Believers flee from the storms of this world to God.
Believers flee for the distress of sin and shame in this world, to God.
Believers flee from the most dangerous enemy of this world (Satan) to God.

Because God is our safe harbor, God is our only hope in the Promised Land of Heaven!

My anchor is both sure and steadfast.
My anchor cannot slip.
My anchor cannot break.
My anchor, the Lord Jesus Christ will hold me no matter what!

Because my anchor is buried within the veil of the Holy of Holies upon the immovable throne of God!

My anchor is caught upon the Throne of my King, King Jesus, the right hand of God!

It is my Lord Jesus who opened that veil to receive me, and I will forever be with my Lord!

Col 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
Col 1:4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
Col 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
Col 1:6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

My hope is in the promises of my Savior and My God and, they are sure!

Amen

A Better Hope

Book of Hebrews Chapter 6

What is hope? Hope is a desire for something that is good along with some expectation of obtaining it.

We should understand that our hope as Christians, Christian is being like Jesus Christ as the example He has given to us, our hope is in the promises of God.

The Bible is our proof that God never breaks His promises.

We can have hope in the promises of God with our confidence, that what God has done in the past God will do in the future, because God says He does not ever change His character.

In the Old Testament:

Mal 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I change not”; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

In the New Testament:

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, “with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”.

Heb 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever”.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the God of Hope!

Rom 15:13 Now “the God of hope” fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

As Christians, our hope lies in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ whom we know is the “express image of God”, like God in every way.

Luk 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Luk 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luk 24:48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
Luk 24:49 And, behold, “I send the promise of my Father upon you”:

We have assurance of hope:

1) Because of what was done through the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

2) Because the Lord Jesus Christ sent the Comforter to live within us.

Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

We should ask ourselves, “how can we not have hope in the promises of God”?

*Heb 6:11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
Heb 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

The full assurance of “hope” lies in our future glory as we will be like the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

The full assurance of “faith” lies in the fact that we have been pardoned!

Isa 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, “for he will abundantly pardon”.

We see that “repentance” is necessary to receive a pardon!

Repentance is:

A complete change of mind.
A complete change of direction.
A complete knowledge of our true purpose.
Along with true sense of our own guilt and sinfulness!

It is in our best interest that we be diligent to love the Lord till the very end!

You see there is going to be “an end”!

There will be “an end” to our hope once our salvation has been fulfilled.

If we are “diligent” in living for Christ, He will be just as diligent to make sure we get to our new home in Heaven!

When we have one foot in the Church and the other foot in the World will never have that assurance that comes by the “Grace of God”!

To be slothful, is to be a lazy Christian!

To be slothful, is a danger to every Christian, the answer to being slothful is being “diligent”!

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We need to be “diligent” to study the Word of God.
We need to be “diligent” to pray.
We need to be “diligent” to be a witness for Jesus Christ!
We need to be “diligent” in our love for our Savior!

2Pe 3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
2Pe 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation

To be with Christ Jesus is to be more alive than we could think was possible!

*Heb 6:13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
Heb 6:14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
Heb 6:15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

It seems like it has been every week lately that we learn of another of our brothers and sisters who have gone on Home ahead of us to be with the Lord.

We sometimes mourn when we should be rejoicing because we have that same yearning to be with them.

You see when our bodies reach death’s door, it is at this time that we see the true meaning of life, because we will have inherited the promises of God!

Those who have gone before us are not dead, they are alive, and more alive than they could have been here upon this earth!

They are now living the perfect life.

Probably the greatest example of this truth on this earth, is Abraham.

God made a sure promise of a son to Abraham, a child through which a great nation of people would be born.

All Abraham had to do was believe what God had said to him, go to where God said to go, and live as God said to live!

Abraham did as God instructed and him even though his faith was not perfect, God fulfilled His promise with Isaac even though Sarah and Abraham were far beyond childbearing years.

This was not the true promise that God intended:

Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Rom 4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
Rom 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Rom 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Rom 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

The promise God was making was that from the lineage of Abraham would come the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

The land promised to Abraham was the area called Palestine, but the spiritual application is the true Promised Land which is the New Heaven!

The important thing is the Abraham believed the promises of God and therefore inherited the promises of God.

There has certainly been a nation of people who believe and follow God just as did Abraham.

Today they are called Christians, because they are trying to be more like Jesus Christ than of being like Abraham.

Abraham endured many things in his lifetime because being a true follower of God may be easy, but the world will do its best to make it hard!

Many characters in the Bible are our examples of true Christians, but there are also many examples who we see in the Church today.

Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Why did God go to so much trouble to teach us these things?

He wanted a people who are not full of doubt!

*Heb 6:16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
Heb 6:17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

God knows that our world would grow so evil and wicked that it would be hard for some to trust Him!

We see these things happening before our very eyes today!

As we have seen over the history of the world and even in simple agreements people will swear by an “oath”.

Many times that oath will be upon the name of some person not involved.

Some swear on their mother’s name, some even on a child’s name, and some on the name of some great person in history.

We should understand that an oath in a religious manner, is lawful under the Gospel or this writer would never have mentioned it and the Holy Spirit would not have allowed it in this fashion.

An oath in reality, is in the fact that God is listening, and that oath is to Him as a witness.

In the Bible, an oath is also called a vow.

God is profoundly serious about vows and oaths:

Deu_23:21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
Deu_23:22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.

Ecc_5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Ecc_5:5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

Sadly, vows are not of great concern to most today and our government has never been able to keep them!

Just ask the Native Americans but not just to them.

If you want to hear many vows, just wait until our next election and you will hear so many it will make you sick and most of them have no intention of keeping them.

Divorces happen over broken vows!

Peace is obtained and broken over vows!

Many a sinner have made vows to our Savior and so many of us fail to keep them.

In all of them, we can be sure God is listening!

Here we see that God has made certain vows and He always keeps His promises, His vows, His oaths, and all the Word of God!

2Ti 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

It is impossible for God to break His vows and His promises!

1Th 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

God cannot change and still be God!

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not;

It is impossible for God not to be God!

*Heb 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
Heb 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

With so many suicides happening today, we can conclude the we humans cannot live without hope!

Without hope, most people find no reason to live!

When we indoctrinate our young people at an early age and they find that out, they see the world for what it is and it removes their hope.

When false churches teach their lies and people find them to be liars, some will give up believing there is no hope.

It is only the true God and His Word that can give us the hope we need to stay faithful till the very end!

Rom 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Rom 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

When we have hope in our salvation, we have no fear of death and leave that in the hands of God, who is the giver and the taker of life!

God will fulfill all His promises and He does not need anyone to help Him!

My hope in God is my refuge, my shelter, and my protection from danger, from distress, and from my enemies!

God gives us the picture of a mighty ship caught in a terrible storm desperately seeking a safe harbor to drop its anchor.

Believers flee from the storms of this world to God.
Believers flee for the distress of sin and shame in this world, to God.
Believers flee from the most dangerous enemy of this world (Satan) to God.

Because God is our safe harbor, God is our only hope in the Promised Land of Heaven!

My anchor is both sure and steadfast.
My anchor cannot slip.
My anchor cannot break.
My anchor, the Lord Jesus Christ will hold me no matter what!

Because my anchor is buried within the veil of the Holy of Holies upon the immovable throne of God!

My anchor is caught upon the Throne of my King, King Jesus, the right hand of God!

It is my Lord Jesus who opened that veil to receive me, and I will forever be with my Lord!

Col 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
Col 1:4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
Col 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
Col 1:6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

My hope is in the promises of my Savior and My God and, they are sure!

Amen

How Is Your Relationship With Jesus

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Better Relationship

Book of Hebrews Chapter 3

A relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest relationship we can have!

A good relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ means you have a better relationship with God!

As human beings we have the tendency worship the things of this world.

It seems we are always seeking something to worship and not God.

To worship is to reverence something or someone that is most important to you!

We also have the tendency to recognize some humans far too much, and in fact it could be said that some humans worship other humans.

We are wrong to even consider such a thing!

In some churches, it seems the Pastor is worshipped more than the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a terrible sin!

In some denominations the church leader is allowed to carry the same weight as the Word of God such as the Pope, but there are others and God wrote down the things, we need to know is this life.

This is a terrible sin!

To the Jews, Moses and Abraham are worshipped as much as God is worshipped, and even some of the Old Testament prophets ranked higher than the Lord Jesus Christ.

We had better understand that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who brings to us the message of God for salvation!

We had better understand that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who did the work that was necessary for our salvation.

We had better understand that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Author of our Salvation.

We had also better understand it is the Lord Jesus Christ who pleads our case to God.

He does all these things and more, because He is the One and only Mediator between God and man!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is God!

*Heb 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

“Wherefore”, all the things that that we learned in Chapter 1 and then Chapter 2 have brought us to the truth of Chapter 3.

**The Lord Jesus Christ is the true Messenger of God!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Supreme Apostle of God according to this writer and according to all the Bible.

An Apostle takes care of the business of God.

Our Heavenly Father is in “the sinner saving business”!

Under the Old Covenant of the law, Moses held the office of an apostle, as God’s ambassador to the Jewish people and those strangers that joined with them.

It was Aaron that held the office of High Priest as man’s representative before God.

Under the “Covenant of Grace” the Lord Jesus Christ holds both offices!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Apostle, the Messenger of God, and the Ambassador of God, while being our High Priest.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who possesses all the authority and power of God’s Kingdom, and He represents God’s Kingdom perfectly because He is Perfect!

We should understand that God’s Kingdom is not of this earth.

The Lord Jesus is speaking to us of a much better place

As God’s High Priest, the Lord Jesus is greater than any high priest that has gone before Him!

**He is the Highest of High Priest to all believers.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who bears the name of God before all mankind!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who knows mankind and knows God!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is able to represent God before man and man before God and He is the only One who can do this!

This Book we call the Bible, the Word of God, leaves us with no doubt that both these things are true.

Heb 5:10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchizedec.

Heb 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God “for us”:

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who builds a bridge between God and man!

It is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that built a new bridge for us to get to Heaven, but it is a narrow path.

What is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

It is that man can know God and can come to be face to face with God!

Remember the Lord Jesus is building us a mansion “in His Father’s House”!

It is the work of Lord Jesus Christ that has caused all these things to be true!

These things are true because the Lord Jesus is also the Supreme High Priest!

Rom 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God,” who also maketh intercession for us”.

It is just a matter of time, and Our Lord Jesus will also hold the office of King of kings and Lord of lords.

What proof do we have?

First Our true Prophet

Deu 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

This was Moses speaking the truth to the children of Israel

Next Our High Priest:

1Sa 2:35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.

And next our King:

2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Psa 95:3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

We must know the complete truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We must fix our eyes upon Jesus.
We must fix our thoughts upon Jesus.
We must fix our minds upon Jesus.
We must fix our attention upon Jesus.
We must grasp the Lord Jesus Christ and attach to Him and never let go!

We must pursue a perfect relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ till the day He comes to take us to the home that He has prepared for us.

As believers, these things must have real meaning because we must be sanctified, set apart for our God!

We must confess that it is the Lord Jesus Christ whom God sent to save us and because He is the Perfect High Priest, He is able to do so!

He has shown us what God is like.
He has told us the truth of God, of ourselves, and of this world.
He has all the power of God, and it is Our Savior who is in absolute control of this world.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is faithful to fulfill the things of God for us!

*Heb 3:2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

What was the house of Moses? We could say it was the Church of Israel that gathered in the Tabernacle and later the Temple.

Moses was as faithful as any human could be to God.

We also know that we need the faith of Abraham to get to Heaven!

Gal_3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Gal_3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Yes, Moses was faithful, but we need the faith of Abraham to obtain righteousness

Rom_4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

Gal_3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Abraham believed God so it is in our best interest to believe all the Word of God, not just Moses and the laws called the Law of Moses.

The Lord Jesus Christ is even more faithful because He has perfect faithfulness!

Moses was faithful to his calling.
Moses was a great freedom leader.
Moses was the great Lawgiver.
Moses was a great nation builder.
Moses was a great friend of God in the eyes of the Jews.

The Jews thought that Moses was the only man who had met with God face to face, but with “Grace” we will all come face to face with our Redeemer.

Moses had been appointed by God to do some great things and He was faithful to do them.

Num 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Num 12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Num 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

To the Hebrew speaking Jews there was no one as great as Moses.

You see here is the trap that many Church members find themselves in today.

They put some man on a pedestal making them equal with God.

Maybe Moses was superior to all men in his day.

Even God bragged upon Moses.

The Lord Jesus Christ is also called of God and called to do greater things than Moses.

The Lord Jesus has shown us by example exactly what God is like and how we can become acceptable to Him.

No doubt that Moses was a faithful man, but he was just a man and not the Godman, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, “to make reconciliation for the sins of the people”.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who was faithful to proclaim God’s salvation plan!

And it is only the Lord Jesus Christ who can make reconciliation for us to God the Father!

*Heb 3:3 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.

Moses caused the Tabernacle in the wilderness to be built, but he had the plans from God to guide Him.

Today every Christian is a house of God!

Also, a design of God, but the work is done by the Lord Jesus Christ!

Eph_2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

What is the human? Our bodies are a finely tuned built machine.

We are resourceful.
We can adapt for many uses.
We have a mind of surprising capacities.
We have perception and can reason.
We have memory and a conscience.
We can have hope and we can trust.
We can know love.
We can reverence.

There is no inventor that has ever been able to surpass God’s creation of the human being!

There is no builder who can build as does the Lord Jesus Christ!

Above all, we all have a spirit that links us to God and we are able to be created anew in Jesus Christ.

Joh_3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Joh_3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

1Co_6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Jesus Christ is the builder of my house, and He can build your house to!

We must understand that He (the Lord Jesus Christ) has equipped us and established us for His purpose.

If we reject the purpose that the Lord has given to us, we become useless, and the Lord will destroy our house!

1Co_3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

It is easy to see that He who has built our house is far greater than the house as magnificent as it is!

*Heb 3:4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

Who is our Creator? Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

It is this Son of God who is our God!

Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

The Son of God is the Lord Jesus Christ!

1Jn_5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

We cannot miss these things if we study the Word of God!

The Lord Jesus has built the house of this entire Universe and He has built my house which is now His house!

The Lord Jesus is the Son of God, who is God, and He is as much God as our Heavenly Father and God the Holy Spirit!

He possesses the very nature of God because He is God!

Christ Jesus made the house. He laid the foundations of our Universe, and He is the House of all God’s people.

You know the Lord has to live within me, before I can live within Him!

Moses may have been the greatest man who ever lived to the Jews, but the message of the Book of Hebrews is that the Lord Jesus Christ is far greater than Moses!

In fact, this is the message of all the Word of God!

In fact, no matter what person is alive today, or from the past, or may be in our future, they will never surpass the Lord Jesus Christ in greatness!

We can only be residents of this universe, but the Lord Jesus is God the builder of our universe!

Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Moses nor any other human being can possibly reach the greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ!

*Heb 3:5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

To speak of Moses to the Jews is difficult and delicate thing to do.

It is hard for the Gentiles to understand just how much the Jews regard Moses.

They see Moses as a man who dedicated his entire life to the obedience of the God of his father’s Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (who would be Israel).

All God’s dealings with Israel were transacted through Moses until he died.

To the Jews, Moses was the Mediator of the Covenant with God.

He brought Israel out of Egypt.
He led them through the Red Sea.
He gave then the Moral Law the Ten Commandments and in fact gave them 613 laws.

It was by Moses that the national life of Israel was organized!

Moses could not go into the Promised Land because Moses was not a perfect man!

Moses was much inferior to Christ Jesus as Moses was just a “servant” to God.
Moses was much inferior to Christ Jesus in respect to his work, as Moses prophesied of a greater revelation to come, which was the Messiah.
Moses was servant to the house of God.

*Heb 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

The Lord Jesus Christ is servant of His own House, the House of God, the Church.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the also the Apostle and High Priest of our profession and who has now been seen to be much greater than Moses.

Christianity is the completed “House of God” on earth over which Christ Jesus reigns as the Son of God!

To be called to Christ is a much higher calling than to have been called to Moses.

Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is Son over God’s House and Moses was only a servant to God’s House!

Moses was called to be a servant to proclaim these things to come sometime in the future as many they now have come.

Moses was to predict and show by example, in symbols and typology, what the Savior of the world would be like and what He was to do when He came into the world.

When God gave Moses messages to deliver, Moses struggled for He did not always understand that message nor those symbols, and God did not explain these things to Moses for it was not yet time.

Remember verse one and two in Chapter 1.

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Moses may have been the greatest servant of God to have ever lived, but he was only a servant!

Moses was a created man, working in a created world, and the Lord Jesus Christ is our Maker and the Creator of all things. Again Chapter 1 Verse 2.

The Lord Jesus Christ is building God’s House with “believers”.

Believers are not those with only head knowledge!

Believers are those who believe everything the Bible says about the Son of God who is the Lord Jesus Christ.

You cannot pick and choose what you will believe about the Lord Jesus.

The entire Bible centers on the prophecy and the fulfillment of that prophecy of all things about the Lord Jesus Christ!

How do we become believers? “If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm in Jesus Christ until the end which means the day the Lord Jesus returns to take us home”.

Our confidence comes by our hope in the salvation given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ!

We must believe the promises of God!

We should walk in the glory of the Lord, no matter our circumstances!

We must stay focused upon the Lord Jesus Christ!

When we attend the House of God to worship, then we need to worship, nothing else in the House of God has this importance.

We are going to the House of God to hear the message God has for us on that particular day, we need to pay attention.

When we do not go, we miss that message and the importance of it!

Jesus Christ is far greater than Moses and Moses truly was one of the greatest men who ever lived in our world!

If we cannot cling to the hope in the salvation provided by the Lord, we cannot be saved, and we will never enter into the House of God in Heaven, the house that Jesus has prepared for us!

2Pe 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

What should we rejoice the most about in this world?

Luke 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

We should rejoice that our names are known in Heaven.

God knows us my name!

Make sure He knows your name and writes your name down in the Lamb’s Book of Life!

We must travel the narrow path of Jesus and not the path of Moses!

Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

We can have a better relationship with our God only because we have a relationship with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen