July 21, 2021 — A Study on the Book of Hebrews

“When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:13-20

“F B Hole writes that…

“How beautiful is this glimpse which we have of God, stooping to consider the feebleness and infirmities which mark even the best of His creatures! Here are Abraham and the later heirs of the promises. How easily their faith may waver! How full of uncertainties is the world in which they find themselves! Then God will condescend to their weakness and reinforce His Word by His Oath, saying, “By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD.” (Hebrews Commentary and Notes, F B Hole)

Every Sunday we swear an oath, sort of, when we recite the Creeds. Our creeds are statements of what we believe – “I believe in G-d the father Almighty; I believe in Jesus Christ G-d’s only Son, Our Lord; I believe in the Holy Spirit, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” These creeds were written by our Church Fathers who found in the working of Christ the fulfillment of G-d’s promises to all people. When G-d spoke promises to the Israelites, they were certain to be true and secure – G-d declared it to be, and so it was. 

In Jesus Christ, G-d humbled G-d’s self to become just like us. As F. B. Hole writes, G-d has sworn an oath by G-d’s self. And after Jesus’ death and resurrection, he promises to prepare a place for each one of us, so that when our end has come, Christ comes to take us home. This is what we believe – in response to what G-d promises.

Pastor Dave

July 20, 2021 — A Study on the Book of Hebrews

 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation.God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” Hebrews 6:9-12

“It seems that the author felt that, after some heavy and solemn warnings, a word of encouragement was in order. He states that he is confident that the people he is addressing are ready for better things that come with salvation (v. 9). The words are like those of a pastor who, after warning his congregation of a dangerous course of action, might say: “But I am sure you people would never do that!” The writer insisted that he had every expectation that the readers would persevere to the end and acquire these blessings.”  (Family Times, “The Encouragement to Go On”)

The genuine Christ-like life is one of “showing your work” and producing a “yield” – but not giving “in” but giving “of”. Too many people feel they must yield their faith, put their faith away while they are at work, at the grocery store, even at their family events. Rather, as the author tells us, we are always to find ways that our faith “yields” evidences – bringing forth a crop, showing signs that your life is one that does not conform to culture – but conforms to faith in Christ.

We can do that in multiple ways – by showing our work, sharing our gifts, getting involved in ministries, feeding people who are hungry for Christ and hungry for food. The beauty of sharing our gifts: it doesn’t matter if we see a yield of a hundredfold, sixty-fold, or even twenty-fold. What matters is that we are giving of our time, talents and treasures, in response to G-d’s love.

Pastor Dave