Hebrews 10:19-20 ESV
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…
When Jesus Christ died on that cross for our sins, the veil
that stood between us and the Holy of Holies – where the high priest entered into
God’s holy presence once a year, to make sacrifices for sins – was torn in two.
Jesus Christ, through his blood shed on a cross for our
sins, thus opened the way for us to be reconciled (reunited) with God, because
Jesus redeemed us (bought us back for God) with his blood shed for our sins.
So, so we who believe in Jesus are now God’s possession, his holy (set apart)
people, who he created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
This is a new and living way, because it has to do with our
new birth (spiritual), i.e. our new lives in Jesus Christ, dead to sin, but
alive to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And, it is living because it is to be
lived to the Lord and to his righteousness, all in his power and strength
within us, and because it is free from bondage (slavery) to sin, resulting in eternal
life.
So, through faith in Jesus Christ we are now able to enter
into God’s holy presence any day of the week, at any location, because the
Spirit of God now dwells in the hearts of those who have trusted Jesus Christ
to be Lord and Savior of their lives. So, we are now God’s temple, his church.
Hebrews 10:21-22 ESV
And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Jesus Christ, in his death on that cross, became our
sacrificial Lamb who was offered for the forgiveness of our sins. But, he was
also our great high priest who offered the blood sacrifice, too, when he gave
his own life up for us on that cross so that we could be delivered out of our
bondage to sin.
Thus, we are being encouraged here to draw near to God with
true hearts. And, “true” means sincere, honest, faithful and steadfast. And,
our hearts are the center of our being, the core of who we are in our thinking,
attitudes, believing, character and behaviors.
For, what we speak comes from what is stored up in our
hearts. And, how we behave, too, tells what is in our hearts and what we truly
believe. And, our character, attitudes, values, etc. all reflect what is truly
in our hearts.
We are also to have full assurance of faith. And, this faith
which saves us is initiated by God, in that we cannot even come to faith in
Jesus Christ unless the Father first draws us to faith in Christ. And, this
faith is also divinely persuaded, and is a gift from God to us who would
exercise that faith and put it into practice in our daily lives. Thus, those
who believe in Jesus with this God-given faith also submit to the Lordship of
Christ.
Only this kind of faith can save us from our sins, because
only this God-given faith will desire to change, and will cooperate with God in
his work of transforming our hearts away from sin (evil, wickedness) to follow
(obey) Jesus Christ with our lives.
Hebrews 10:23 ESV
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Here, too, we are encouraged to hold fast the confession of
our hope without wavering. And, I don’t believe this is speaking of an outward
verbal confession, either, though that is certainly part of it. But, this is
speaking of the confession of our hearts, which are true hearts. This is
speaking of those who, in all truthfulness, and in actuality, truly trusted in
Jesus Christ via dying with him to sin that we might live with him to
righteousness.
This is what we are to hold fast to, i.e. this crucified
life, this holy life, this sanctified life by the Spirit of God in turning our
hearts from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God so that we can
receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in
Jesus Christ.
And, we are not to waver (vacillate, be indecisive) on this
point, either. We who are in Christ Jesus by faith in Him are to steadily and
consistently walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh.
We are not to be those who are tossed back and forth by the winds of teaching
coming from people in their deceitful scheming.
But, we are to be those who are faithful to our Lord, who
are walking in holiness and who are living lives which are pleasing to God –
all in his power and strength. This is not saying we will never sin, but that
sin should no longer be our master, but Jesus is to be Lord (master) of our
lives.
Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV
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.
And, not only are we to be steadfast in faith, not wavering,
living holy lives pleasing to God, but we are to be encouraging one another to
do likewise. We are to be engaged in purposeful encouragement (urging,
inspiring and nurturing) of one another in our walks of faith with our Lord
Jesus Christ.
And, one of the ways in which we can do this is through
sharing with others what the Lord Jesus is teaching us through our times with
him in his Word. Another way is to be sensitive to the needs of others and to
reach out to them with a word from the Lord to strengthen their hearts, or with
helping them in an area of ministry, or with helping to meet specific needs for
them.
We should pray much about this, too, asking the Lord to make
us sensitive to needs and to open doors and opportunities to minister to one
another. And, then we should even pray how to do this, and ask the Lord to show
us the many ways he has for us to bless others, or to share Christ’s love with
them, or to urge them on in walks of holiness and obedience to Christ.
And, we need to do this because the days are evil, and the
time for Christ’s return is getting closer, and Satan is on a warpath against
the saints of God. And, so we need to be steadfast in encouraging the hearts of
others to remain faithful to the Lord and to not give up hope, but to keep on
in the strength of the Lord, no matter what they are going through.
But, we can’t do this if we are isolated from other people.
We need to meet together regularly, and not just once a week, especially if it
is just for a formal church service. We need to be regularly gathering together
with other Christians for the purpose to encourage one another in Christ, and
to talk about Jesus and his Word, and to help one another in their walks of
faith so that they don’t get discouraged and wander off from the faith or
become trapped by Satan’s deceit and trickery.
But, let me add just one thing here. We can gather on the
internet, too, at least for now, so all gatherings do not have to be in person.
They can be through chats or texts or emails or phone calls or whatever means
we have available to us to gather with other believers to encourage them in
Christ. But, our dependency should never be on one another, but always we should
be leading others to look to God to meet all their needs.
Look to God
An Original Work / November
11, 2016
Fear not. Look to God.
He will strengthen you. He is your Rock.
He’ll meet all your needs.
Rest in Him, and be filled with His peace.
When sorrow fills your life, pray to the Lord.
Believe His promises. Trust in His Word.
He’ll lead you each day.
Give your life to Him. Follow His ways.
Lean on Him today.
He will comfort you. Trust Him always.
Read His Word and pray.
Tell the world of His love and His grace.
When trials come your way, be not afraid.
God watches over you. Be not dismayed.
He’ll work all for good,
For the called of God. Jesus, they love.
Sing songs. Praise your Lord.
Lift your voice to Him. Shout out His Word.
He forgave your sins,
Cleansed your heart. You are made new within.
When you are faced with temptation to fear,
Remember God will be with you. He’s near.
He’ll take care of you.
He will keep you in His love, tis true.
Sunday, June 2, 2019
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