Scripture

By these regulations, the Holy Spirit revealed that the entry to the Most Holy Place was not truly open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use.

Observation

In the first covenant, there were regulations for worship and for a place of worship. The tabernacle had two rooms. In the Holy Place there were a lamp-stand, a table, and sacred bread.

In the Most Holy Place, there were a gold altar and the Ark of the Covenant.

The priests regularly entered the first room, but the Most Holy Place could only be entered on one day of the year by the High Priest. This was to show that the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle remained.

Application

Under the old covenant, worship was, in many ways, determined by regulation. in particular, only priests could offer sacrifices in the holy place. Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies on just one day of the year. Even then, he first had to offer sacrifices for his own sins and for those of the nation.

On the other hand, we have been cleansed by the blood of Christ, and we have free access to God’s presence all the time. Worship springs from our hearts and not just according to the law.

More importantly, we don’t come into the presence of God. The presence of God, the Holy Spirit, is in us. He leads us, equips us, and transforms us to be more like Jesus.

The new covenant, which has been mediated for us by Jesus, is far superior to the old covenant with its rules and regulations.

Prayer

Thank you Father for the privilege of worshipping you and fellowshipping with you daily. Amen.

Scripture

“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. ” I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be there God, and they will be my people.”

Observation

The first covenant with not perfect, and so the Lord brought a new covenant. He foreshadowed this through the prophets.

The new covenant would be different to the old. Instead of a written law telling people how to behave, the Lord would write his laws on their hearts and minds. He will be their God, and they will be His people.

Nobody will need to teach their neighbours or relatives, or exhort them to know the law. Everyone from the youngest to the oldest will know Him already.

Application

When we walk with the Lord, there is no reason for laws, rules and regulations. If we all love the Lord, we will all love one another.

There is a tendency in every move of the Holy Spirit to codify what is happening, so that new converts know how to honour the Lord. That is not a bad thing. The trouble is that, over time, we may start to elevate the rules above the Holy Spirit. Eventually, what started as a life-giving move of God is stifled by legalism.

God has written His laws on our hearts. If we keep desiring to please God, He will show us what is required in every situation.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you that you do not require us to learn rules and live by laws. I have a living relationship with a living God and I can trust you to lead me. Amen.

Scripture

They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven.

Observation

Jesus, our High Priest, sat down in the place of honour beside God’s throne in heaven. He ministers there in the true place of worship.

Jesus offers gifts and sacrifices in heaven. The priests on earth serve in a system of worship that is just a copy of the real one in heaven. When Moses was constructing the Tabernacle, the Lord warned him that it must be made according to the pattern He revealed.

Jesus, our High Priest, has a ministry superior to the old priesthood, for He mediates a better covenant with God.

Application

There are christians who argue that we should worship according to the Old Testament model – the feasts, singing psalms, and so on, but no animal sacrifices because that would be yucky.

That is the old priesthood and the old covenant. We have a new priesthood in which Jesus is our High Priest as well as our sacrifice. All believers are priests in God’s Kingdom, a royal priesthood that is eternal because the kingdom is eternal.

The new covenant, and the new priesthood are superior to the old. The old was just a shadow of the new. the old worship was just the shadow of the heavenly worship.

We all have the Holy Spirit communing with our spirits, teaching and encouraging us to worship in spirit and in truth. When the church gathers to worship, it is a part of the heavenly worship.

The old covenant was the prototype, but the new covenant kingdom is the real deal.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, that we have this privilege of worship. Please help me to worship you in all that I do. Amen.

Scripture

But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lives forever.

Observation

The priesthood of Jesus was established by an oath made by God. The descendants of Aaron became priests without any oath.

Under the old system, there were many priests. But Jesus lives forever and does not need to give up his status as Priest. He is able once and forever to save those who come to God through Him.

Jesus is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. under the old covenant, the priests had to offer sacrifices everyday for their own sins and the sins of the people. But Jesus never sinned so He does not need to make a sacrifice for His own sin. He is also the perfect sacrifice that takes away the sins of the world.

Application

Jesus lives forever and He continues to act as a kind of priest for all humanity.

He intercedes with the Father on our behalf. This is not to suggest that the Father needs persuading. No, the presence of Jesus in heaven is an eternal sign that Jesus has offered himself as the sacrifice that takes away every sin.

Jesus also represents the Father to us. His death is a sign of God’s perfect love. God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish. This is our God!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you are my perfect High Priest. Thank you for your eternal intercession on my behalf. Amen.

Scripture

For the law never made anything perfect. But now, we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

Observation

The perfection which God required could not be achieved under the old priesthood of Levi. Instead, God instituted a different priesthood with a priest in the order of Melchizedek.

If the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed. Our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and the law of Moses never mentioned priests from that tribe.

Jesus became a priest, not by belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by having a life that cannot be destroyed. The old law never made anything perfect, but we now draw close to God through our great high priest.

Application

The law of Moses could not make a person perfect. Like any law, all it could do is tell you what to do and warn of a consequence if you did not do it.

In Christ we have a better hope, a better priesthood. He is making us perfect and he opens the way for us to draw close to God .

Firstly, Jesus declares that our sins are forgiven. There is no punishment, or fear of punishment, where there is no trespass. If the judge declares that we have not broken the law, we will not be punished.

Secondly, the sin that separates us from God is removed. Therefore, I can enter into God’s presence at any time. Under the old covenant, only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and then only once per year. We can enter God’s dwelling place at any time.

Thirdly, the Holy Spirit is transforming us to be perfect. This will not be completed in this life, but every day, as we seek to follow Jesus, the image of God in our souls is being restored.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, that you are making me perfect and sinless. Amen.

Scripture

The priests who collect tithes are men who died, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on.

Observation

The previous chapter ended with the statement that Jesus is an eternal high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Melchizedek was both the king of Salem (Jerusalem) and also a priest of God. Melchizedek met Abraham after a battle. Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and Abraham gave him a tenth of all that he had captured in the battle.

The law of Moses required the priests of Levi to collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel. Melchizedek was not a descendant of Levi .

Melchizedek blessed Abraham, demonstrating that he was greater than Abraham .

The Levites who collected the tithes die, but Melchizedek is still alive. He is therefore greater than they are.

Application

The author of Hebrews is making the point that the priestly order of Melchizedek is greater than that of the priestly order established by the law of Moses. It is this order, Melchizedek’s order, to which Christ’s priesthood belongs.

The writer is using comparisons and analogies which were understandable to his readers, although we may struggle with them.

The crux of the message is this: Christ is greater than any human religious system, even the Old Covenant system established under Moses.

We do not have to go back to offering sacrifices or obeying the Old Testament law and requirements. Christ has set us free from all of this.

Because Christ is a higher priest, his sacrifice is effective for all people and covers all sins.

Prayer

Thank you Jesus for dying for me and for atoning for all of my sins. Amen.

Scripture

This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.

Observation

God promised with an oath to bless Abraham with descendants beyond number. Abraham waited patiently to receive what God had promised.

When people take an oath, it is considered to be binding. So God bound himself with an oath so that the recipients of His promise can be sure that He will never change His mind.

We who have fled to God for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong anchor for our souls because it leads us into God’s presence.

Application

We use the word hope in a very weak sense – we hope things will happen without any great certainty or expectation that they will.

In the Bible, the word hope means a confident expectation based on God’s promise.

God has promised that everyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved. Because God is trustworthy and does not lie, we can be confident that we will go to heaven.

The promise and the hope are more than a future event. This hope leads us into the presence of God now. Jesus is with God, and we are with Jesus, so we are in God’s presence.

This is a hope that anchors the soul. I don’t have to be pushed to and fro by emotions or circumstances. No, my status with God is secure. He loves me and will not abandon me, ever.

I can walk with calm confidence in every situation, trusting in the power and grace of my heavenly Father.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for this strong hope that I have in you. You are my rock and my shield. Amen.

Scripture

Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe that it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation.

Observation

Ground that soaks up the rain and bears a good crop for the farmer has God’s blessing. But if a field is useless, the farmer will burn it.

Even though the author is talking like this, he says that he doesn’t believe it applies to them. They are meant for better things, to walk in the fullness of salvation.

His great desire is that they continue to care for other believers. They will be following the example of those who inherit God’s promises.

Application

Sometimes Christian leaders can seem harsh and unloving to their followers. The leaders themselves can be discouraged because their people seem so far behind where they should be.

This is because many leaders have high ideals for their churches. They love God passionately and have such a close relationship with the Lord, and they want everyone to be in the same place they are so that they can have the same joy.

I sometimes am tempted to feel that way about my congregation. I fell let down sometimes by people who don’t live up to my expectations.

But then I think seriously about them, and I see people who love the Lord as passionately as I do, who use their gifts to bless other people, who share the gospel with unbelieving friends, and who give generously to the church and to missions.

Like the writer to the Hebrews, I have to say, ” I don’t really believe that this applies to you.” Of course, we all have room for improvement, but that is the Holy Spirit’s job, not the pastor’s.

Prayer

Thank you Father for the privileges of salvation and of serving you. Thank you for my brothers and sisters you share the journey with me. Amen.

Scripture

So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding.

Observation

We have to stop going over the basics and move on to maturity. The fundamental teachings such as repentance from sin, placing faith In God, baptism, and laying on of hands don’t need to be repeated endlessly.

It is impossible to bring back to repentance people who were once walking with the Lord and then turn away from God. They have rejected the Son of God and are effectively nailing him to the cross again.

Application

It seems that many Christians are content to stick with the basics of doctrine. They are happy to hear endless repeat of how get saved, the importance of baptism, and so on.

I believe that we need to have a strong foundation for our faith so that we know why we are saved and where we are going.

In order to be mature in our faith, to be the over comers we are meant to be, we must move on. Preachers need to teach their congregations how to pray and read the Bible, how to tithe, how to move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

In Acts we read of numerous occasions where miracles and expulsion of evil spirits caused people to be amazed and to put their trust in the Lord .

Every Christian must be an effective minister in the word of God and the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to become more mature. Show me where I am lacking and where I can improve in my relationship with you. Amen.