Devotional Thoughts

Hebrews 10:14-17    "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.  (15)  Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,  (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;  (17)  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." As a preacher, I have found it to be rough when wearing white shirts. The reason for that: Most preachers (myself included) love to eat. Many church members enjoy watching the preacher eat. The danger of wearing white shirts and eating is that any drop of food will immediately stand out against the white fabric of the shirt. If not treated properly, the stain will remain on the shirt. Now you ask, what does eating fried chicken have to do with today's passage of Scripture? By the work of Jesus Christ, the redeemed soul has been made perfect...

Hebrews 10:11-14    "And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:  (12)  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;  (13)  From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.  (14)  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." We are coming to the conclusion of the first three sections of the book of Hebrews. The first section identified Jesus Christ as the very Son of God. The second section identified Jesus, though He was of the tribe of Judah, as the Great High Priest. This third section identifies Jesus, the very Son of God, our Great High Priest, also as the very sacrificial offering to be given. Today's verses bring to conclusion the effectiveness of His offering of Himself. The work ethic of long ago was no one sat down until the job was finished. That ethic isn...

Hebrews 10:9-10    "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.  (10)  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." "We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ (that was prepared) once for all."  I must address those last two words: "for all."  In most Bibles, those words are italicized; that is, they were added by the interpreters.  It is very important to understand the reason for those two words. If Jesus died for every person who has ever been born, if those two words mean every individual, then I will be bold to say every individual who has ever been born will be in heaven. Don't leave me yet, for we know there is a hell and we know it is occupied. The reason for my first statement about those two words is because Jesus has plainly said that "All that the Father gave to Him shall have eternal life....

Hebrews 10:9-10    "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.  (10)  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." We finished recently with a body that was prepared for the Son of God to occupy when He came to this earth two thousand years ago.  He came to fulfill the first covenant, which was the law. In fulfilling the first covenant, He has now established the second covenant which is grace. What were the promises (covenants) made by God?  The first covenant (promise) declared we could not save ourselves eternally. We could not do enough good works to redeem ourselves. That was a promise.  Please allow me to use my terminology. God said, "I promise you that you cannot do enough to save yourselves; therefore, you deserve eternal banishment from God and heaven's glory."  The second covenant (promise) was this, "I promise you th...

   2 Chronicles 19:3 –  Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. One of the better kings in the Old Testament was Jehoshaphat.  A descendant of David, this king of Judah was an inspiration to many during his lifetime, but he was not without faults.  He did not always do what best pleased God, but neither do we. We should be encouraged that God used such a man as Jehoshaphat.   The word  nevertheless  can be powerful.  Here we see it used to tell the king that despite how he had failed in certain things, God was pleased that he had done away with the idolatry in the nation, and moreover he had prepared his heart to seek God. Through prayer, study, and worship, we can also prepare our hearts to seek God.  I know we have failed Him time and time again. Nevertheless, I pray the Lord will be pleased with us as well as we put away anyth...

Hebrews 10:5-7    "Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:  (6)  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.  (7)  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God." It has been established that the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sins; rather they served as a stark reminder of the sinful nature that we carry with us each day. Those offerings did not give pleasure, that is, they were not counted as valid payment for the debt of sin against us. Isaiah was blessed to write concerning the "pleasure" of God seven hundred years before Christ came to this earth. "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.  (11)...

Hebrews 10:1-3    "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.  (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.  (3)  But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year." Again I say, I love the convenience of having chapter and verse numbers in the Bible.  But sometimes, if we stop at the end of a chapter, the flow of thought can be interrupted. Chapter 9 concluded with the thought of Jesus having entered once into the Holy of holies and He was "once offered to bear the sins of many." If that thought is not fresh in my mind, I might think chapter 10 begins a new idea; rather, the writer is going into further explanation as to why Jesus only entered once. Until the time of Jesus...

Hebrews 9:27-28    "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:  (28)  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Is there a possibility that someone could go through this life with a hope in his heart of eternal life, but then be rejected when standing before a great white throne?  There are those who have this dread of the possibility of God telling them their good works were not enough and they would then be consigned to an eternal burning hell.  If there is no other passage of Scripture that dispels that fear, I pray these verses will take it away and replace it with the blessed assurance of the effectual work of Jesus Christ. It is a fact we will not enter heaven in this flesh. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that we shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed.  The judgment that was against us becaus...

Hebrews 9:24-26    "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: (25) Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; (26) For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." I begin each time to write short, to the point, thoughts of devotion. I begin with those intentions and then find myself writing sermonettes.  It's with that thought, I begin this writing. But then, how can I minimize the work that Jesus accomplished? And I realize today's may seem like a repetition, but if the Lord saw the need for this theme to be repeated, then I must repeat it. Too many people feel the atonement is not completed unless they do something to put it into effect. ...

Hebrews 9:12-14    "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.  (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:  (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?" I realize much of this book of Hebrews has seemed dry reading; yet, it is so very important in the entire plan of God's salvation to His people that He followed His own legal requirements. When sin entered the world by Adam, death was the requirement. For legal atonement to be achieved, there had to be a mediator to go between God and man.  Man lost his sinless nature and therefore was/is unworthy to approach God without redemption. The price had to be paid.  God had t...

Ezekiel 38:7 – Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. The book of Ezekiel is full of powerful imagery, but one thing is clear. God reigns, and He is on the Throne working. In the passage above, the Lord told the prophet, “Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, an all thy company…” Whether it is a cup of coffee or updating our calendars, we often fail to prepare for anyone else other than ourselves. Since we are naturally rather self-centered, this should come as no surprise if we are honest. However, the Lord’s message to Ezekiel can apply to us as well. We are called to be prepare our hearts to seek God. If we are parents or grandparents, we should instruct our children to do the same and give them an example that demonstrates this commitment. If we lead people in the workplace, we should be faithful to provide them a godly example and afford them the opportunity to worship as we shoul...

Hebrews 9:7-11    "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:  (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:  (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;  (10)  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.  (11)  But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come ..." In the last several chapters, the writer has been contrasting the office and work of the high priest under the law with the person, work, and office of our Lord.  Now he is going to get to the very heart of the work of Jesus. In Hebr...

Hebrews 9:6-7    "Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.  (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." These verses speak of the work of the priests and the work of the high priest. Daily sacrifices were brought for the priest to offer unto the Lord. Those sacrifices were for various reasons. There were sacrifices of thanksgiving, there were sacrifices asking forgiveness for daily sins and tresspasses, as well as various other sacrifices. The priests offered those sacrifices. There was a ritual through which he had to follow in order to properly offer those sacrifices.  The sacrificial animal was slain and the blood was poured, some on the altar and the remaining portion at the base. Parts of the animal were burned on the brazen altar. Before the priest could go into t...

Hebrews 8:1-2    "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;  (2)  A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." As we read the first verse of chapter 8, we might think the writer is winding down with his discourse on Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest.  Maybe this is where we preachers get our first, second, and third conclusions to our messages.  The writer of Hebrews is nowhere close to being finished talking about Jesus.  Pardon me for that little bit of levity. I thought it might bring a smile. Most of us have heard preachers making their third and final conclusion. Let's see if we can sum up what the writer has said so far. This is the sum: We have a high priest who sits on the right hand of the throne of God.  The Hebrews, to whom he is writing, have been accustomed to being...

Hebrews 7:24-25    "But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.  (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." "But this man...."  This verse starts with a conjunction of contrast. The high priests under the law had to continually bring the offerings before the Lord. Year after year, they offered the same offerings which could never take away the sins of the people. We will see more about that in chapter 10. The high priests under the law was continuously changing because of death, "But this man ... hath an unchangeable priesthood."  The office of Great High Priest will never be given to another. There will never be another person through whom we will need to go in order to access the throne of grace. Jesus Christ is the only way whereby we can gain access to the peace, grace, and mercy of God. We will never have to worry abou...

Amos 4:12 –   Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. Since children are not naturally obedient, parents must find a way to discipline them, and this is one of the most difficult things to do as a parent. Out of love we do not want to hurt our children, but we also cannot let them harm themselves or others. Likewise, God chastens His children and judges them according to their works and by His grace we are saved. Our behavior does not earn His love. The nation of Israel was just like an unruly child.  While they sometimes obeyed. Over time, they demonstrated that they needed grace under the mighty Hand of God.  Chastening alone under the Law was not enough to make them seek the Lord.  God sent prophets to teach them.  He sent judges and kings to turn them back to Him.  He sent famine, pestilence, war, and bondage.  Still they failed over time to repent on the whole, and even...

Hebrews 7:22    "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament." "By so much was Jesus made a surety."  What was the "so much"?  We can look back to a previous verse and see Jesus was made the Great High Priest and the surety by an oath. Who made the oath?  We can go back to chapter 6 to see the answer.  "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." (Hebrews 6:18)  God, the Father, and God, the Son, entered into a covenant to redeem His people. God, the Holy Spirit, also was in that covenant, but for this purpose the writer is including Father and Son.  It was/is impossible for God to lie; therefore, we can boldly come into this understanding that our hope is secured in Jesus Christ. May I ask just now, "What is your hope based upon?"  Are you hoping that your good outweighs the bad? Are you ho...

Hebrews 7:22    "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament." As I study through this book of Hebrews, I realize more and more just how much Jesus meant to the writer.  I have danced all around expressing my thoughts as to who wrote the book of Hebrews.  I have often thought that Paul wrote the book based on the style of writing that was used throughout the book. This morning, I am more convinced that Paul wrote the book, not because of the style, but because of the subject content. But I will still refer to him as "the writer".  We are halfway through the book and the subject of the book has been consistent from the very beginning. This writer loves Jesus and is using all his energy, knowledge, and spiritual experience to tell the Hebrews (and us) about Jesus.  Just a thought from me - We need to fall back in love with Jesus as the writer of Hebrews loves Him. "Jesus was made a surety of a better testament."   The writer can speak of ...

Hebrews 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."   "The law made nothing perfect."  The law was never intended to bring us to perfection. This is why in chapter 6, the writer says, "let us go on unto perfection."  The Pharisees apparently thought themselves to be perfect as they walked about in their grand robes and various ribbons and attire. They loved for people to look at them and admire them as if they were perfect. What was the basis for their thinking themselves to be perfect?  Was it not they felt they were keeping the law perfectly?  In reality, they picked certain parts and used that as their standard for perfection. Several years ago, there was a commercial for a particular laundry detergent. They took a white sock that had been worn and covered with dirt. They placed the sock in the washer and used a different detergent than the one they were advertising. Wh...

Zephaniah 1:7 – Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. From the day when Abraham almost offered Isaac up to God, believers have known that ultimately God must provide a sacrifice. The coming of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, changed the world forever. All the sacrifices in the past, no matter how well intended, were but a shadow of the day of the LORD.  That dreadful day when Jesus was slain demonstrated the utter depravity of mankind and the sovereign righteousness of the Son of God. Maybe nothing in all of Scripture is so moving as the words of Christ, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). From before the day Jesus was born in Bethlehem until the day of ultimate Passover on Calvary, the path of the Savior was set.  His steps were ordered by the Father who did not stay His hand and did not withhold His wrath from His only begotten Son for...

Hebrews 7:11-12    "If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?  (12)  For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law." Hebrews 7:15-16    "And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,  (16)  Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life." There are many things to which we want to apply the word, "if".  "If I had only...."  "If this had happened or if that had happened...."  For most things the word, "If" has no answers. But in today's verses, we do know the answer to "if".   If the Levitical priesthood could have made the people perfect, there would be no need for a chan...

Hebrews 7:1-3    "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;  (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;  (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." I confess to you these verses may be dry to some; yet, they are in the Bible and we must address them. Much is thought and said about this Melchisedec. There are those who believe him to be Jesus, Himself.  Some would ask, "How can it be Jesus when He was born a couple thousand years later?" Well, to address that question, it is my belief that Jesus appeared to Joshua just before the Israelites went against the walled city of Jericho. He came to Joshua as the cap...