I opened this post by saying that it was obviously written to the Hebrews- Born Again Hebrews. Written around A.D.57 it was a bad time for the church of Jesus Christ in many ways. The Romans who had conquered The Holy Lands had setup a puppet government who had been harassing the Christian faith in general. Also, and maybe worst of all, these converted Jews had been ostracized by their old Hebrew friends.because of their faith in Christ. It took an extremely courageous heart to walk away from a religion that was a deep part of your life since your earliest memories. On top of all that, unconverted Jews had infiltrated the church and were telling these Hebrews that their rejection of their Jewish faith was the cause (God was mad at them) which explained their troubled minds and the troubled lives. All would alright again when they left Jesus. The writer of Hebrews is writing to these churches (to be read out loud to the entire congregations) in order to put these Hebrews back on a sense of stability.
Continuing where we left off-
1 THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
They have reached a point with God where it is now necessary for them to get serious about their walk with Jesus. He is their high priest who (after He cleansed us and took care of our sin) sat down at the right hand of the Father. Jesus has lived among us, experienced the same temptations we have and certainly knows what it means to suffer. He is always waiting for us to come freely to His throne of grace and listen to what goes on in our lives and offer whatever we need. We really lack nothing except perhaps faith.
Since, (in the last chapter of Hebrews) we have been shown the power of faith in the lives of such a group of people, who accomplished great things because of the faith they possessed. These Hebrews need to lay aside all their unnecessary weight and the sin they still play around with along with every distraction and look at Jesus. There is no reason for these Hebrews to be lacking in faith. Having a faith in what Jesus has accomplished for them will remove the fear and anxiety the hardships they face bring. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Remember the man in the Gospels somewhere that when Jesus asked him ‘Do you believe?’ The man replied, ‘I believe but help thou my unbelief’ Can he accomplish that for you?
Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds. You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your [own] blood.
Comparing their suffering to that of Jesus, he points out that Jesus paid a much higher price for their salvation than they are for their problems with life. Consider these things in order to not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in their minds. They have not yet struggled and fought agonizing against sin, nor have they yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out their own blood.
And have you [completely] forgotten the divine word of appeal and encouragement in which you are reasoned with and addressed as sons? My son, do not think lightly or scorn to submit to the correction and discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage and give up and faint when you are reproved or corrected by Him; For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes. You must submit to and endure [correction] for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons.
And have you [completely] forgotten the divine word of appeal and encouragement in which you are reasoned with and addressed as sons? These people had been given a word as sons not to take correction and discipline lightly or scorn to submit to it. Nor lose courage and give up and faint when they are reproved or corrected by Him.
For the Lod corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes. You must understand and submit to and endure [correction] for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons
For what son is there whom his father does not [thus] train and correct and discipline? Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline in which all [of God’s children] share, then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons [at all]. Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live? For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.
We all realize that our fathers dealt with us pretty severely at times, and we all know we probably deserved it. Looking back, most of us would admit that they did the right thing and ultimately kept us out of a lot of trouble. God is the same way except He is perfect and never makes a mistake- and does it for our own good.
For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].
When one of God’s children is disciplined by God it never feels good or right while it’s happening. If you are the one God is dealing with right now, no matter who you are in your own sight you will feel grievous and painful- but wait, and when God is finished, afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].
So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees, And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured. Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord. Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it—
Wake up! cut through and make plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured. Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord. Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it—
See too it that absolutely no one takes their situation to mean that God’s grace has departed from their life. If you let this happen a root of bitterness will spring up and contaminate many and defile many. Anyway, the truth is: God’s grace has not departed or changed in any way towards any of His children. Make sure the church is grounded in God’s love.
That no one may become guilty of sexual vice, or become a profane (godless and sacrilegious) person as Esau did, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you understand that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected (disqualified and set aside), for he could find no opportunity to repair by repentance [what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], although he sought for it carefully with [bitter] tears.
Do not let anyone become so discouraged as to resort to some form of sexual vice or become a profane- godless and sacrilegious person becoming as Esau did. And later finding no room for repentance, although he sought it carefully with bitter tears.
For you have not come [as did the Israelites in the wilderness] to a [material] mountain that can be touched, [a mountain] that is ablaze with fire, and to gloom and darkness and a raging storm, And to the blast of a trumpet and a voice whose words make the listeners beg that nothing more be said to them. For they could not bear the command that was given: If even a wild animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death. In fact, so awful and terrifying was the [phenomenal] sight that Moses said, I am terrified (aghast and trembling with fear).
How terrifying Gid coming down Mount Sinai must have been. filled with gloom and darkness and a raging storm. Even Moses was trembling and aghast with fear. A blast of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the listeners yhat nothing more be said to them. The mountain itself was ablaze with fire and even if a wild animal should touch the mountain it should be stoned.
In order for us to get some understanding in what follows, we’ll need a little basic spiritual explanation.
First thing I want you to see is that we are spiritual beings. Like Jesus, we are a spirit that put on flesh in order to walk on the earth. When we became born again, our spirit (which was us, however, we were born dead in our spirit and therefore we were dead since we are an uncreated spirit in a created body made of the dust of the ground. Christ is also a Spirit. When He put on flesh (as we did) He became the man Jesus (who was the) Christ. He died on the cross and was resurrected so that our spirit may become alive as His was. His Spirit came to live in us, and our spirit became alive in Him. When He sat down at the right hand of the Father, so did we since we are now ‘in Christ. Being ‘in Christ’ takes a lot of maturity to be aware of. We also ‘Walk by faith and not by sight’ so here are heavenly things that are already ours because we are in Christ yet we can’t se them.
But rather, you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless multitudes of angels in festal gathering,
Instead of coming to an earthly mountain we, being spiritual, in the spirit came to a spiritual mountain called Mount Zion and to God’s city, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless multitudes of angels in festal gathering.
And to the church (assembly) of the Firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to the God Who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous
We have also come to the church of the firstborn who are registered as citizens in heaven, and to the God who is Judge of all, and to the spirits (this all occurs while we walk in our body on the earth- this is happening to our spirit who is in the Spirit of Christ- His Spirit is also in us- on the earth) of the redeemed in heaven. (Our spirit was made righteous during our new birth). Who have been made perfect, and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks of mercy, a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel, which cried out for vengeance.As we’re told below
(the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect, And to Jesus, the Mediator (Go-between, Agent) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks [of mercy], a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out for vengeance].
So see to it that you do not reject Him or refuse to listen to and heed Him Who is speaking [to you now]. For if they [the Israelites] did not escape when they refused to listen and heed Him Who warned and divinely instructed them [here] on earth [revealing with heavenly warnings His will], how much less shall we escape if we reject and turn our backs on Him Who cautions and admonishes [us] from heaven? Then [at Mount Sinai] His voice shook the earth, but now He has given a promise:
He has been talking and warning you right now and maybe for quite a while. Do not refuse Him or turn our backs to Him when He cautions us or admonishes us. For if Israel did not escape when they refused Him here on earth, how much less shall we escape. His voice shook the earth at Mount Sinai, but now He has promised-
Yet once more I will shake and make tremble not only the earth but also the [starry] heavens. Now this expression, Yet once more, indicates the final removal and transformation of all [that can be] shaken—that is, of that which has been created—in order that what cannot be shaken may remain and continue. Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear
and awe; For our God [is indeed] a consuming fire.
Strong words to end up this chapter.
God bless you- chapter 13 next<!–
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