“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Question: What does faith look like in real life? What do those who live by faith do practically?

This is what the author of Hebrews addresses in chapter 11. As his readers are trying to get a handle on this new way of living, faith based verses rules based, he takes them back to their heroes and shows them practically how they went about living by faith. I have come up with 20 different ways – each of which are worth pondering how they might play out in your life.

Here is the question I find myself asking: Is there anything about the way that I live out my walk with Jesus that actually takes faith? Perhaps you might ask yourself the same question as you ponder these.

• People of faith offer God acceptable sacrifices v. 4
• People of faith seek to please God v. 5
• People of faith live in reverent fear v. 7
• People of faith obey even when… v. 8
• People of faith cling to the promises of God v. 9
• People of faith consider God to be faithful v. 11
• People of faith live like strangers to this world v. 13
• People of faith yearn for Heaven v. 16
• People of faith give God that which they love most v. 17
• People of faith bless others vs. 20-21
• People of faith acknowledge God’s sovereignty v. 22
• People of faith identify with the people of God v. 25
• People of faith do not indulge in the fleeting pleasures of sin v. 25
• People of faith look forward to their reward v. 26
• People of faith stand against ungodly authorities v. 27
• People of faith endure v. 27
• People of faith live counter-culturally. They risk looking foolish v. 28
• People of faith expect great things from God vs. 29-30
• People of faith fight valiantly against the enemy vs. 33-34
• People of faith suffer for righteousness’ sake v. 36

May this brick help you to live by faith each and everyday as you see to please God.

Bonus: A number of years ago I wrote a song about Hebrews 11:6. If you want to hear a bad singer and guitar player then you can check it out HERE. Just words HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In many ways, chapter 10 is a review chapter before the author changes gears in chapter 11. Verses 1-18 rehearse what has already been said about Jesus: He is better! And He is our great High Priest who has made a way for us to go behind the curtain directly into the presence of God. Verses 19-21 summarize everything in this way…

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God…

At this point the author gives us 3 “let us” exhortations in verses 22-25. There are 14 “let us” exhortations sprinkled throughout Hebrews and they serve as some of the most practical ways to apply everything the author says. Here are all 14…

• “While the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.” (4:1)
• “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the Word God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.” (4:11)
• “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” (4:14)
• “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” ((4:16)
• “Let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity.” (6:1)
• “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” (10:22)
•  “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (10:23)
•  “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (10:24)
• “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.” (12:1)
• “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus.” (12:1-2)
• “Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.” (12:28)
• “Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” (12:28)
• “Let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.” (13:13)
• “Let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.” (13:15)

Verses 26-39 are also a rehearsal and a reminder of a very strong warning that the author gave back in 6:4-12. In effect he says this: “I know that your old way of approaching God is something that you are familiar with and comfortable with. But don’t ever go back. It is a dead end road. Jesus is better! Cling to Him fiercely and you will be rewarded greatly. The Lord is faithful.”

May this brick encourage you to press on in the faith knowing that no matter what enticements this world tantalizes you with… Jesus is better!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tabernacle of Moses was the temporary place of worship that the Israelites built according to God’s specifications while wandering the desert and used until King Solomon built a temple. It was designed to provide a graphic picture for God’s people of what relationship to Him entailed. In this brick I want to use that picture to help you to evaluate where you are in your relationship to God and then to encourage you to take the next step toward drawing nearer to Him.

The first picture below gives an arial view of what the tabernacle might have looked like. The second picture gives a more detailed view of what was included inside the tabernacle.

Each of the things mentioned in the diagram above prompt a question that you might ask yourself.

The Entrance: There is only one way to get inside. Just as there is only one way to come into a relationship with God. Jesus. Which side of the gate are you on?

The Courtyard

The Altar of Burnt Offering – This is where anyone could come and bring their sacrificial offering and have their sins forgiven. Have you offered yourself to God as a living sacrifice and experienced the forgiveness of your sins?

The Bronze Basin – This is where the priest would go cleanse themselves before entering the Holy Place. As believers we are all now priests before the living God. The water from the Basin for the believer represents baptism. Having had your sins forgiven have you been baptized?

The Holy Place

The Golden Lampstand – Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World”. And to His followers He said, “You are the light of the world.” Having had your sins forgiven and having been baptized are you a light in the darkness of this world representing Jesus in a way that draws attention to Him and not yourself?

The Table of Bread – Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life.” Are you being nourished daily by the bread that is available to us through the Word God?

The Altar of Incense – The incense was a special blend that was very pleasing to God. In Scripture incense represents the prayers of God’s people. Do you delight in coming to God in prayer and do you work at making your prayers a delight to the ears of God? 

The Curtain – Very few people ever went behind the curtain. Not just any priest but only the High Priest was allowed to do this. But because the curtain was torn down the middle upon the death of Christ, ALL believers have access to the Most Holy Place, aka The Holy of Holies. And yet many believers are content to stay on this side of the curtain. They are content to read the Word and say their prayers and live a forgiven life but they are not willing to draw near to the glory of God and experience Him in a way that most people do not. What is keeping you from enjoying a relationship with God that most people will never have the courage to experience?

The Most Holy Place

The Arc of the Covenant – The Arc of the Covenant represented the very presence of God. To be in the Holy of Holies was not to just know a lot about God but to know God. When the saints of God encountered Him they found themselves face down in His presence because His glory was so magnificent. They found themselves in absolute awe declaring “Holy, Holy, Holy.” They found themselves undone by their sinful nature as God’s holiness revealed every little imperfection. They found themselves declaring the greatness of His Name and praising His mighty works. They found themselves emboldened to go out into the world and testify to all that they had seen and heard. Is this anywhere close to your experience with God?

So…. Where are you? Outside the gate? In the courtyard? In the Holy Place? In the Most Holy Place. Figure out where you are and then where you want to be. What steps do you need to take to move closer to God?

And if I can help just let me know!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How would you react if a well respected, highly thought of, godly man stood up in church as the guest preacher this Sunday and said, “You might as well throw your Bibles away – they are out of date and old fashioned and I have a better book for you to base your life on”?

That is essentially what the author of Hebrews says in chapter 8. Notice verse 13: “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” What we know as the Old Testament was for the Hebrews their Bible – the Scriptures. And they were being told that the part of their Scriptures that they revered more than any other – the books of the Law as written down by their hero Moses – was OBSOLETE.

I have no doubt that it took a while for the Hebrews to wrap their heads around this information. And the only reason they eventually concurred was because the author of Hebrews did a masterful job of showing his readers from THEIR Scriptures that this was all a part of God’s plan from the beginning. The question that the Hebrews were finally beginning to comprehend was this: If the covenant that God made with His people through Moses was insufficient to secure our forgiveness of sin and make us eternally righteous in the eyes of God then what was it’s purpose? Perhaps this illustration will help to answer the question. I will follow it up with a few comments…

 

1. The Law was never intended to lead to salvation. It merely provided temporary relief from the guilt of sin.
2. Doing good, or trying to please God by obeying His commands only led to a dead end because absolutely no one could perfectly obey the Law. And yet, this is the basis of most religions today. The religious faithful try as hard as they can to earn the favor of God by doing the best they can but their good works aren’t good enough.
3. The Law was designed to show God’s covenant people that there had to be another way, a better way.
4. Even in the Old Testament it was not the keeping of the Law that provided salvation, it was faith in the blood of the sacrificial lamb to cover their sin that brought about forgiveness.
5. The author of Hebrews is making a compelling case that Jesus, the better High Priest, who did live a life that perfectly obeyed God’s Law, was the better Moses and the author of a New Covenant – not based on keeping the Law but based on faith that His sacrificial blood is sufficient to cover our sin and secure for us salvation.

Interestingly, within a few years of the writing of the Book of Hebrews, the whole sacrificial system  of the Jewish people was made obsolete. In 70 A.D. the Romans conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish Temple. Thus there was no way for annual sacrifices to be made at Yom Kippur for the forgiveness of sin. 

Fortunately there was no longer a need for this to happen. Because God had provided a better way… Jesus!

May this brick help you to understand God’s great plan from the beginning. And to recognize that even in today’s world your good works aren’t good enough to win the favor of God. But Jesus’ good work on the cross is!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some passages are easier to ponder than others and readily lend themselves to application. This is not one of those chapters. Hebrews 7 focuses on a fairly obscure character from the Older Testament named Melchizedek. He is only mentioned in a few verses in Genesis 14 and Psalm 110. But he is hugely important in Hebrews as the author makes his point that Jesus is our great High Priest and so much more excellent than the priests of the Older Testament.

In today’s brick I want to focus on two points of application that emerged from the text as I pondered it this week. I will put them in the form of question and answer.

1) Why is the practice of tithing (or giving generously as the Newer Testament calls it) so important? 

There are two answers to this question. Hebrews 7:2 tells us that “…and to (Melchizedek) Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything.” (see also Genesis 14:20-24). The first answer is this: Tithing is a way to remind us that God is the owner of EVERYTHING and that we are merely stewards of what He has entrusted to us. It is exceptionally easy for us to take pride in all our possessions and equally as easy for our possessions to begin to possess us. Tithing is a way that we humble ourselves before God and acknowledge that it ALL belongs to Him. And it is way for us to express our gratitude for everything that He allows us to steward.

The second answer goes like this: Tithing is a way that the Lord tests us to see if we are GOOD stewards and a barometer as to whether we can faithfully steward MORE. It was immediately after Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe in Genesis 14 that the Lord made a promise to him about having a child in his old age (Genesis 15:1-6). A child that would become the father of many nations whose number would be like the stars in the sky. It was because Abraham was faithful in the little things that God entrusted with greater things. And so it is with us.

2) What kind of prayers do you suppose Jesus is praying for you?

We read in Hebrews 7:25 that Jesus is “able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” This verse got me thinking. What do Jesus’ prayers for me sound like? I imagine that they sound very different than the prayers that I pray for myself. I imagine that they have less to do with my comfort and safety and health and money and more to do with my holiness and obedience and joy and nearness to God and protection from the evil one. John 17, I have no doubt, gives us some good clues as to what His prayers sound like. And interestingly, do you know what that prayer of His is called? The High Priestly Prayer!

So if you want to know how Jesus is praying for you then read John 17. And if you want to know how to model your prayers for others after Jesus’ prayers then read John 17.

May this brick spur you to think about what your practice of tithing reveals about you and to encourage your soul as you hear how Jesus is interceding for you.