Posts that reference the book of Hebrews

Peter’s Building Blocks: Perseverance

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 2 Peter 1:5-6

Perseverance.
Endurance.
Patience.
Steadfastness.

In hard times.
Lean times.
Times of aggravation and oppression.
Times of suffering and uncertainty.

It is hupomone.
It is looking beyond the present.
It is knowing the sufferings of this world are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us (Rom. 8:18).

It is resisting temptation.
Standing strong in the face of opposition or threats.
It is not backing down or slinking away.

Perseverance is clinging to God’s sovereignty and His justice.
It is following Christ’s example.

“[W]ho for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

Bottom line: Persevere
Keep doing what you’re doing (1 Cor. 4:12).
He will give you the strength (Phil 4:13).
Don’t grow weary (Heb. 12:3).
It is worth it (1 Timothy 4:10).

Sound Mind Theology: Blaming

By Paula Wiseman

Since the Fall, we have struggled not only with the content of our thoughts but the process as well. Yes, even the very way we size up situations and apply knowledge and experience to them is tainted by sin. In other words, we are constantly plagued by fallacies and cognitive distortions. So in our series on sound mind theology, we’ve touched on three interrelated distortions — minimizing, maximizing, and disqualifying. We discussed the fallacies of fairness and control. Last week, we got personal with two cognitive distortions, labelling and personalization. Today, we’ll finish up the series with blaming.

Blaming, as a cognitive distortion, is when we assign guilt or responsibility to someone else for our emotional responses. “I don’t want to have lunch with her. She makes me feel guilty about what I eat.” “He makes me so angry with his dumb comments.” Blaming may make us feel better temporarily. We may even feel like we’re protecting ourselves by avoiding a difficult situation.

The Roots of Blaming

Human beings have been blaming each other and other things since the very beginning. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent. They both blamed God. And that shifting was passed down to their sons. Cain’s jealousy of his brother, Abel, resulted in murder. What was the root of the jealousy? Blaming someone else rather than admitting his own failure to be obedient. All of these examples from the early chapters of Genesis expose the basis of blaming. We don’t want to admit responsibility for our shortcomings, our failures, our sins.

The Spiritual Side of Blaming

Blaming God puts us in an antagonistic relationship with Him. We resent His correction. We mistrust Him. We ascribe questionable motives to God’s actions. (This is exactly what happened in the Garden.) These attitudes are wholly ungodly and require repentance.

He is wise in heart and mighty in strength —who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded? Job 9:4

The writer of Hebrews calls out the deceitfulness of sin.

[B]ut exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13

Taking Responsibility

From our examples above, quality of lunch and comments aside, we have the power to determine how we respond. It isn’t “she makes me feel guilty.” It’s I (choose to) feel guilty.” And it’s actually not “he makes me angry.” It’s “I get angry.”

If we get in the habit of blaming others, we don’t see where we are wrong. We may ignore the Holy Spirit’s efforts to correct us. If it persists, we can grow hard-hearted toward God.

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Proverbs 28:13

As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!” Psalm 41:4

Furthermore, if we see someone else as the cause of our distress, on whatever level, we cannot, will not love them the way God has called us to love others.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 1 Peter 1:22

Going Forward

All of the fallacies and cognitive distortions we’ve looked at prevent us from living a life of obedience, service, and love. But they are also deeply ingrained in us. It takes humility to ask God to show them to you and diligence to reshape them. But we have a great mission ahead of us, and our minds need to be fully engaged.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13

All Things New: The Covenant

By Paula Wiseman

It’s a new year and our thoughts naturally tend toward making a fresh start. As believers, we have already experienced the freshest start possible. Our sins have been wiped away completely, and we are a new creation. Paul says as much in 2 Corinthians 5:17. We have a new birth, new life, new position, new nature, new goals, new relationships, a new mission, a new purpose … and many more. But the key to all of this, we learned last week, was God’s divine initiative. One of the ways that initiative was manifested was God initiating a covenant with individuals and with groups of people. And we learn about those in Hebrews.

Before we discuss the covenants themselves, it’s important to realize that they are solely a function of God’s grace. Yes, Abraham was a man of faith, but God’s decision to cut a covenant with the patriarch came before Abram exercised any faith in God. It wasn’t a case of God reviewing humanity and deciding Abram was someone He could work with, someone He wanted on His team. No. Fallen humanity never seeks God or the things of God. But God does seek us, and He graciously calls us into a relationship with Him. Abram wasn’t a party to the first covenant in Scripture but his is the first we’ll consider.

Abraham

In Hebrews 6:13-14, the writer recalls the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 22.

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.”

Even though the writer doesn’t cite the entire covenant and its promises, they were certainly in view to him and to his readers. Those promises included an inheritance of land in Canaan and a unique identity as God’s people. God chose a people for Himself, the descendants of Abraham. Later, we’ll find out just what it means to be a descendant of Abraham.

Moses

When we think of covenants, we think of the covenant God made with Israel through the Exodus. In Exodus 19 God invites the people to live as His people, under His law. While the people immediately accepted that offer, especially after seeing the miraculous deliverance from Egypt, things went south quickly.

As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses?
Hebrews 3:15-16

The covenant based on keeping God’s law was a failure because the people were rebellious. Note it was not a problem with God’s law. Paul explains in Romans 7 the law was good. It points out how high God’s standards are and how short we fall. Even if we think things would have been different if WE had been at Sinai, if WE had seen those miracles … the truth is, WE have already failed. A quick dip on social media provides enough evidence that, left to ourselves, we are in deep trouble. Better evidence is in Romans 3 where Paul plainly tells us that none of us are good, none of us seek after God.

While that first covenant had a system in place to cover our sins and delay judgment, there was no permanent way to erase our sins. That’s why God initiated a New Covenant in Christ.

The NEW Covenant

Christ Himself explained in the Upper Room that He was inaugurating a new covenant, guaranteed by His blood. The writer of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34 about the New Covenant.

For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant…”
Hebrews 8:8-9

This is how we know the New Covenant wasn’t a last-minute idea God threw together when Israel couldn’t keep the Law. HE knew we wouldn’t be able to keep the Law. We, however, had to see for ourselves. (We’re stubborn that way.) God knew all along that redemption through the blood of Christ was the only way our sins could be dealt with and satisfy both His justice and His grace.

Hebrews 9 explains (and it is absolutely worth the long quote):

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
Hebrews 9:11-15.

The blood of goats and bulls could only go so far. How much MORE will the blood of Christ Jesus Himself, freely offered, purify us! This is how we become the people of God by faith like Abraham. We believe God that Christ’s death is sufficient and is available to us. God accounts that to us and we are considered righteous.

Now that’s not the end of the story, and we don’t get to simply sit around patting ourselves on the back. Under the covenant made while Moses led the people, obedience was expected in order to enjoy the blessings of the covenant. Deuteronomy 27 describes how the Israelites lined up on Mounts Ebal and Gerizim to rehearse the curses for disobedience and the blessings for obedience.

Even under the New Covenant, believers have a responsibility. While we’ll look at the charge more next week, here’s how the writer of Hebrews lays it out.

Therefore, 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, 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. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
Hebrews 10:19-24

Signs of Hardness: Failing to Respond

By Paula Wiseman

In the Old Testament and New Testament, we are warned not to harden our hearts. In our current series, we’ve begun considering some cautionary signposts that mean we are on the road to a heart hardened toward God. So far, we’ve discussed disobedience, wealth, discontent, rejecting correction, and refusing to listen. We’ll wrap up with a consideration of a similar tactic, failing to respond.

What does it mean to fail to respond?

Simply put, when we are presented with clear, obvious truth and instruction and we know we should act but don’t, we are guilty of failing to respond. We know stories of people who were under conviction, and they knew it, but instead of yielding to the Holy Spirit, they steeled themselves and didn’t respond. Eventually the conviction dissipated, and God left them with the consequences of their decision.

In a less drastic case, I’ve heard men who were sure God was calling them to ministry and they refused the call. They were left with a lifetime of regret and questions of what might have been.

In Matthew 13:13, Jesus explained to His disciples why He taught in parables. He said, “Seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” Because the crowds refused to acknowledge Jesus’s true identity, choosing instead to see Him simply as a healer, a teacher, a foil for the self-righteous Pharisees, their hearts were hardened to the truth. The disciples, on the other hand, answered Jesus’s call and enjoyed an ever-deepening relationship with Christ.

Our indifference also damages our testimony. When nonbelievers see that our faith can easily be discarded, why would they want to embrace it?

How does it produce hardness?

Failing to respond trains us to ignore the voice of God. The only way we can do that is to harden our hearts against it. God made us for a relationship with Him. We damage the fellowship we enjoy when fail to respond. We show that God’s instructions are not compelling, that His kingdom is not a priority and that His favor is not valued.

How do you soften a heart hardened by a failure to respond?

Submission to the Spirit

Paul issued a quick admonition to the Thessalonians. Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19). The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God in our lives, a gift to guide us and keep us on track. He is tasked with conforming us to Christ’s image. Don’t ignore or interfere with what He is doing with us.

The writer of Hebrews in chapter 3 quotes Psalm 95:7-8.

Today, if you will hear His voice: “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness.”

The hardheartedness is rooted in rebellion rather that submission. It always is.

Faith

Jesus had a rebuke for His disciples after His resurrection.

Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.
Mark 16:14

Faith is Christ, belief in His word is the antidote for a hard heart.

As we wrap up, all hardness of the heart is the outworking of sin in our lives. The writer of Hebrews explains:

[B]ut exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13

We buy into lies and distance ourselves from God. We’ve been doing it since Eden.

Signs of Hardness: Rejecting Correction

By Paula Wiseman

One of the memorable details in the Exodus is Pharaoh hardening his heart. Despite the miracles, the plagues, the pronouncements of Moses, he persisted, and the end result was God’s judgment on him and his nation. Pharaoh wasn’t the only one with a hard heart. Israel soon developed one in the wilderness. In the Old Testament and New Testament, we are warned not to harden our hearts. It doesn’t happen overnight though. It starts with an action or an attitude and before we know it, we are cold and indifferent to God and His word. We’ve begun considering some cautionary signposts that mean we are on the road to a heart hardened toward God. So far we’ve discussed disobedience, wealth, and discontent. Today, let’s look at rejecting correction.

What does it mean to reject correction?

A large portion of the Old Testament narrative details how God graciously warns His errant people. He sends prophets to tell them where they have gotten off track and what changes they need to make. Unfortunately, they categorically ignored all those warnings. They refused to change, and instead were settled in their hearts and minds that they were okay. The prophets were either misinformed, making a big deal out of nothing, or they were in fact false prophets they should not listen to.

Here’s one example from the time of King Joash. He was a good king who took a hard turn to apostasy later in life.

Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the LORD; and they testified against them, but they would not listen. Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He also has forsaken you.’ ” So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 24:19-21

Rejecting correction can lead to a rejection of God’s standards, even with shocking results.

Jesus also warned about the dangers of rejecting a clear message to repent.

The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
Luke 11:32

How does this produce hardness?

Rejecting correction is evidence that we believe we are right and God is wrong. It may not be so overt at first, but that is the foundation we build on. We have no need to change. We self-justify. Our own standards are the ones that matter and we have not violated them. We become arrogant. We don’t need to submit to God.

How do you soften a heart hardened by a rejection of correction?

David’s great psalm of confession and repentance, Psalm 51, serves as a blueprint.

He asks for forgiveness (v. 1-2).
He confesses his sins (v. 3-6).
He prays for cleansing from the sin (v. 7-12).
He recommits himself to God’s service (v. 13-17).
He ends the psalm by praying for his nation (v. 18-19).

Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.
Psalm 51:4

Note that David is not rejecting God’s correction but fully agrees with God and recognizes God’s right to correct him.

Another important thing to remember is that God only corrects His children. Correction is actually confirmation that He loves us and is doing a work in us.

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”
Hebrews 12:5-6

We don’t like to be corrected. It blows up our illusion that we are okay. But rejection of correction when it comes has far more dire consequences. Let’s keep our hearts soft.

Signs of Hardness: Discontent

By Paula Wiseman

One of the memorable details in the Exodus is Pharaoh hardening his heart. Despite the miracles, the plagues, the pronouncements of Moses, he persisted, and the end result was God’s judgment on him and his nation. Pharaoh wasn’t the only one with a hard heart. Israel soon developed one in the wilderness. In the Old Testament and New Testament, we are warned not to harden our hearts. Of course, we would never … It doesn’t happen overnight though. It starts with an action or an attitude and before we know it, we are cold and indifferent to God and His word. We’ve begun considering some cautionary signposts that mean we are on the road to a heart hardened toward God. So far, we’ve discussed disobedience and wealth. Today, let’s look at discontent.

What is discontent?

From the dictionary, discontent is a sense of grievance, a lack of satisfaction with one’s possessions, status, or situation. It is rampant in our culture. We are taught to constantly take inventory, to compare and even disparage those who have what we believe we should have. We manifest our discontent through complaining. We probably don’t think of ourselves as complainers, but we probably know someone who is. (That was tongue in cheek.) Consider your daily routine. The traffic was slow. The coffee has too much or not enough whatever in it. The order wasn’t quick enough. The internet is slow (I’m repenting as I type). That person doesn’t pull their weight. Those rules are useless. That costs too much. And on Sunday, the sermon was too long, too shallow, didn’t address my needs. The music was dull. Or too loud. And on and on and on.

How does complaining produce hardness?

Theologically, it is borne out of envy or covetousness. It is an accusation that God is not good, that He is not fair, that His provision for us is neither adequate nor appropriate. It teaches us that we are the ultimate arbiters of good and right and not Almighty God. Because we don;t want to give up our position, we harden our hearts toward the True God.

“How long must I endure this evil community that keeps complaining about me? I have heard the Israelites’ complaints that they make against me.
Numbers 14:27

God does not tolerate any other gods.

How do you soften a heart hardened by discontent?

The New Testament has some advice for how to soften our hearts.

Service

“It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:26-28

Humility

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 2:3-5

Contentment

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”
Hebrews 13:5

If your primary thought about others is how to love and serve them, there isn’t room for the envy that produces discontent. When we add to that the perspective that we have Christ’s presence with us, no material things can compare. Finally, our contentment is a powerful witness to the world around us. Paul explains:

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.
Philippians 2:14-15

Peter’s Building Blocks: Perseverance

Sound Mind Theology: Blaming

The Roots of Blaming

The Spiritual Side of Blaming

Taking Responsibility

Going Forward

All Things New: The Covenant

Abraham

Moses

The NEW Covenant

Signs of Hardness: Failing to Respond

What does it mean to fail to respond?

How does it produce hardness?

How do you soften a heart hardened by a failure to respond?

Signs of Hardness: Rejecting Correction

What does it mean to reject correction?

How does this produce hardness?

How do you soften a heart hardened by a rejection of correction?

Signs of Hardness: Discontent

What is discontent?

How does complaining produce hardness?

How do you soften a heart hardened by discontent?

Encounters Series

Covenant of Trust Series

Foundations Series