The gratitude the writer asks for in Hebrews 12:28 is to be expressed in the form of reverence and awe (let us be thankful and so worship God with reverence and awe). The “and so” suggests he’s interested in gratitude not just for itself but as a means to the worshipful spirit he wants them to possess.Continue reading “The Gratitude Of Holiness (2)”
Category Archives: Hebrews
The Gratitude Of Holiness (1)
The Hebrew writer is challenging the disciples he’s addressing to pursue holiness (12:14). Holiness is wholeness. It is being responsive to God in every area of our lives. As Jesus talked about, it is loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). This doesn’t happen accidentally or incidentally, so they areContinue reading “The Gratitude Of Holiness (1)”
The Discipline That Pays Dividends
Stay tuned. Do you remember that phrase? You don’t hear it much anymore. Stay tuned was a succinct way of telling the radio listener or television watcher that something important was about to happen and they needed to make sure they didn’t miss it. These two words were dripping with expectation and promise. And moreContinue reading “The Discipline That Pays Dividends”
Recapturing Our Confidence
So why was Hebrews written? What was the purpose of the letter? Like most letters in the New Testament, the author doesn’t identify his purpose in writing so we’re left to work it out according to what we’re given in the letter. Fortunately, there is much to mine in this regard. A good place toContinue reading “Recapturing Our Confidence”
Overwhelmed By Jesus
Since Hebrews is more a first-century sermon than letter, it begins not with a greeting but rather with an enormously staggering statement about Jesus (1:1-4). This introduction is like the lavish entrance to a magnificent estate. The writer wants his audience to (once again) be overwhelmed with Him. They had been that way before (10:34-35),Continue reading “Overwhelmed By Jesus”
Not To God
The book of Hebrews is much more a sermon than a letter. It is carefully crafted apologetic for Jesus Christ, consisting of well-reasoned arguments from the Old Testament punctuated by exhortations to its recipients to remain faithful to God by recapturing their confidence in Christ. And like most effective messages, it has some well-placed illustrations.Continue reading “Not To God”
More!
Quite a few of the parents I know who have younger children (i.e., those who can’t speak yet), are communicating with them through hand signals. It makes great sense when you think about it. Why have the little darling screaming at 100 decibels while you’re trying to figure out what they want when you canContinue reading “More!”
Freed From The Fear Of Death
The Hebrew writer has some compelling things to say about death in 2:5-18. In doing so, he speaks of two individuals and one group. He first talks about “Jesus . . . suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone” (v. 9); Then he mentions “him who holds the powerContinue reading “Freed From The Fear Of Death”
Details That Make A Difference
A significant part of what the Hebrew writer has to say revolves around the truth that Jesus is mediator of a new, better covenant (8:6, 9:15, 12:24). What is involved in this? We know from other texts (1 Timothy 2:5 for one), that Jesus is our mediator and we understand that we come to God through Him. ChristContinue reading “Details That Make A Difference”
Christ And His Outrageous Claims
Knowing what we do about the context of Hebrews (i.e., that it’s written to Jewish Christians who are under pressure from family, friends, and enemies to go back to simply being Jewish), imagine the following conversation in the marketplace between a Jewish Christian (Jonathan) and his non-Christian brother (Micah) in light of what we hearContinue reading “Christ And His Outrageous Claims”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 