LookingtoJesus

November 1

Bible Reading: James 1

James 1:2-4, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

I’m a member of a spousal caregiver support group.  Its stated purpose is to provide support and resources to people of all ages who care for partners with chronic illness or disability.  Once a month, I join with others in a Zoom meeting to discuss the various challenges associated with caregiving.  Such challenges are something I’ve witnessed frequently in the lives of those I visit as a hospice chaplain.  The topic of discouragement came up in a recent meeting, leading to further discussion about how to not lose heart.  I mentioned how we need to try to keep focused on the positives.  But how is it possible to stay positive when pain, and illness, and even pending death cloud our vision?  In some more troublesome cases, emotionally and physically draining tasks burden a caregiver, consuming all their time with no end in sight.  Our text speaks to such matters.  Everyone faces trials.  Some trials can appear Goliath like.  But God is aware of what we are going through, and He can even use our trials for good in our lives.

“Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). Someone has said that life is 10% circumstances, and 90% what we make of them.  “When in trouble and in doubt run in circles, scream and shout,” might be the response of some, but God calls us, as believers, to something better.  He has called us to “joy” (Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16).  “Joy” is not the same as “happiness.”  Happiness is a worldly commodity that is realized to the extent that one’s circumstances measure up to one’s expectations.  “Joy,” on the other hand, is that Spirit-borne contentment of the soul that is sourced ultimately in one’s relationship with God (Galatians 5:22; Romans 15:13).

One key to responding to trials appropriately is realizing (i.e., “for you know;” James 1:2) that God has a purpose in them.  The awareness of adults and infants leads to contrasting reactions in the dentist’s chair, for the adult realizes why they are there. The realization of what God is accomplishing in us amidst the trials we face makes a lot of difference in how we respond (Romans 5:3-4, 8:28).

In trials, faith is tested, as gold is refined by fire (1 Peter 1:7).  The heat drives the impurities to the surface where they can be removed.  Trials have a way of bringing “spiritual impurities” to the surface in our lives.  Attitudes, words, and actions—that are inconsistent to who we are in Christ—are made apparent.  The Spirit identifies such things to us through the Word, so that we can put them off during the process of spiritual growth into Christ-like maturity.

It is the knowledge of this reality that helps us to maintain a positive perspective (Romans 8:28).  Trials are not just problems, but teachable moments in God’s divine classroom. He uses them to shape us into Christlikeness.  God is so good at turning things around!  I love the truth that is found in 2 Corinthians 4:17: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”  The trials you are now facing might not seem light and momentary now, but they are so when weighed against the eternal weight of glory that awaits you in heaven. “We do not lose heart” because we are aware of this reality (2 Corinthians 4:16)!

Andrew Murray was suffering from a terribly painful back, when a woman who was in trouble came to him asking for counsel.  He passed on to her some advice he had just written for himself: “In time of trouble, say:

• First, He brought me here, it is by His will I am in this place: in that fact I will rest.
• Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child.
• Then, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow.
• Last, In His good time He can bring me out again—how and when He knows.

Therefore, say I am here, (1) By God’s appointment, (2) In His keeping, (3) Under His training, (4) For His time.”

The key to rejoicing amidst trials is the realization that God is using them to build in us Christlike character!

There’s joy that no language or thought can express,
It comes from His presence divine;
And when in His likeness at last I awake,
Its fullness I know will be mine!

October 31

Bible Reading: Hebrews 13

Hebrews 13:15-16, “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.  Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

We’ve been created to worship God, man’s chief end being to “glorify Him and enjoy Him forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism).  It is sin that debilitates and prevents us from fulfilling our purpose.  Christ came to rectify that problem, as A. W. Tozer once said:

“Why did Christ come? Why was he conceived? Why was he born? Why was he crucified? Why did he rise again? Why is he now at the right hand of the Father? The answer to all these questions is, ‘in order that he might make worshipers out of rebels; in order that he might restore us again to the place of worship we knew when we were first created’.” (

A.W. Tozer, “Worship: The Missing Jewel.”

Worship is “acknowledging God for who He is and what He does in what we say and what we do.”  These two verses speak succinctly to these various aspects.  Worship involves more, much more, than what happens in a “worship center” during a “worship service” under the direction of a “worship leader” on a day set aside for worship.  It is the 24/7 activity of those who “no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:15; Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 10:31).

Acceptable worship is that which is by the Spirit and in accordance with the truth.  “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).  We are led, instructed, and empowered by the Spirit, through the Word, to worship God in an acceptable manner (Philippians 3:3; Ephesians 5:18-19; Colossians 3:16-17).

Worship involves both praise and thanksgiving.  These are to be continually offered up to God (Hebrews 13:15).  The term translated by the phrase “offer up” means “to carry, bring or bear up and so to cause to move from a lower position to a higher position.”  Our praise and thanksgiving is directed upwards to God Himself.  The sacrifice of praise is said to be “the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name” (Hebrews 13:15).  Praise is borne in us and ushers forth from our lips through the indwelling influence of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  The Spirit of God is the ultimate worship leader (Philippians 3:3), opening our eyes to the glorious and praiseworthy nature of God.  When we are “filled with the Spirit” the worship of God, in praise and thanksgiving, is the result (Ephesians 5:18; Colossians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Acceptable worship is authenticated not just by beautiful words but by beautiful deeds. God is pleased when we “do good” and are ready to “share what (we) have” (Hebrews 13:16).  Paul, having been blessed by the generosity of the Philippians, understood their gifts to be those given to God in worship: “I have received full payment, and more.  I am well supplied, having received from the Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18).

Andrew Murray has commented on this, “But to do good and to communicate, forget not. In our Christian fellowship, and in the world around us, Christ has given us the poor and needy so that we may show them what we would like to do to Him, if He were on earth. Let the Christian study to combine a life with God in the Holiest with lips that praise and confess Him. And this, again, with deeds of love and kindness and Christian help that prove that the Spirit of Jesus is in us, that we are walking in practical fellowship with His self-sacrifice. And let every act of love and kindness be laid at God’s feet as a sacrifice to Him. For with such sacrifices God is well pleased. They are to Him a sweeter savor than the sweetest incense. And as we offer them indeed to Him in faith, they will bring our hearts the assurance that we are well-pleasing.”

Andrew Murray

Worship is acknowledging God for who He is and what He does in what we say and what we do.  Acceptable worship is “in Spirit and truth.”

Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.

October 30

Bible Reading: Hebrews 12

Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who 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.”

The 543.7-mile race from Sydney to Melbourne, Australia, is the most grueling race in the world.  In 1983, 150 runners ran that race.  On race day, Cliff Young, a 61-year-old potato farmer and sheepherder, arrived at the registration table wearing overalls and galoshes. At first, people there thought he had come to watch the race, but much to their surprise, he had come to run.  Cliff had grown up on a farm without the benefit of horses and vehicles.  When storms came along, he headed out to round up his 2000 sheep over his 2000-acre farm.  Sometimes that would take 2 or 3 days. When the race started, bystanders laughed at Cliff, who was left behind in his galoshes and overalls while the other runners with their fit bodies and running gear quickly started running. Snickers gave way to laughter when Cliff ran, not like the other runners, but with what they could only describe as a leisurely, odd shuffle. All of Australia was riveted to the live telecast as they watched the scene unfold. “Someone should stop that crazy old man before he kills himself!” Five days, 15 hours, and 4 minutes later, Cliff Young came shuffling across the finish line in Melbourne, winning the ultra-marathon! He didn’t win by a few seconds, or even a few minutes. The nearest runner was 9 hours and 56 minutes behind. Australians were stunned at this remarkable yet seemingly impossible victory. How did it happen? Everyone knew that to run the ultra-marathon, runners would run for 18 hours, then stop and sleep for six hours. This routine was repeated for five punishing days. But no one told Cliff Young. He just shuffled along, day and night, night and day, without stopping to sleep. Cliff broke the previous race record by nine hours and became overnight a national hero. He claimed afterwards that during the race, he imagined he was running after sheep and trying to outrun a storm.  Cliff Young ran with endurance!

Scripture likens the Christian life to a race (1 Corinthians 9:24; Galatians 5:7; Philippians 2:16).  It is not a sprint, but a marathon in which endurance is necessary.  Endurance is “a steady determination to keep going.”  It speaks of that characteristic of a person who is undeterred by even the greatest trials and sufferings in loyalty to the faith.  The need for “endurance” is in the context of our passage (Hebrews 10:32, 36, 39; 12:1, 2, 3).

The runner in the race is encouraged by a “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1).  Who are these folks?  The reference is undoubtedly to those spoken of in the previous chapter, as Kent Hughes explained:

“The scene is a great coliseum. The occasion is a footrace, a distance event. The contestants include the author and the members of his flock and, by mutual faith, us. The cloud of witnesses that fills the stadium are the great spiritual athletes of the past, Hall of Faith members—every one a Gold Medal winner. They are not live witnesses of the event, but ‘witnesses’ by the fact that their past lives bear witness to monumental, persevering faith.”

“Hebrews, An Anchor for the Soul”- R. Kent Hughes

There are encumbrances that work to hinder the runner in the race.  Extra weight is obviously a big consideration.  The race runners of that day wore little or nothing.  The believer is likewise exhorted to “lay aside every weight” (Hebrews 12:1).  It is possible for the believer to be weighed down by things that are harmless in themselves, but still a hindrance because they impede progress.  We can be weighed down by material possessions and our love for comfort hindering us in our efforts.  That’s no way to run!

A more significant obstacle is the “sin which clings so closely” (Hebrews 12:1).  Encumbrances weigh down, sin entangles.  What kind of sin?  John MacArthur has commented on the matter:

“Obviously all sin is a hindrance to Christian living, and the reference here may be to sin in general. But use of the definite article (the sin) seems to indicate a particular sin. And if there is one particular sin that hinders the race of faith, it is unbelief, doubting God. Doubting and living in faith contradict each other. Unbelief entangles the Christian’s feet so that he cannot run. It wraps itself around us so that we trip and stumble every time we try to move for the Lord, if we try at all. It easily entangles us. When we allow sin in our lives, especially unbelief, it is quite easy for Satan to keep us from running.”

John MacArthur

So, “looking to Jesus,” let us run with endurance.  Cliff Young ran with endurance as he kept his eyes on an earthly prize.  In Jesus, we’ve both the best of examples and the reason to keep on running as we “press on toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14)!

“By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” – Charles Spurgeon

May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus,
As I onward go.

October 27

Bible Reading: Hebrews 11

Hebrews 11:13-16, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.  If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

In recent years, millions of people have traveled from afar and even risked their lives to enter into our country.  They’ve done so supposing that they will find a better life than what was their experience in the country that they left.  They deemed America to be a “better country” and took the necessary steps to get here.  Though far from perfect, we are privileged to live in a country such as ours.  But there is still a far better country than this one.

The readers of this epistle were tempted, under the threat of persecution, to return to their Jewish religion.  The author encouraged them to endure by faith according to the example of the Old Testament patriarchs, like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  They lived as strangers and exiles on earth.  By faith, they overcame obstacles, thinking not of the land they had left behind, but what God had prepared for them.

The believer in Christ is an alien here and a citizen of a better country (Philippians 3:20).  We enjoy many privileges as citizens of this country, but this world is not our home.  As long as we are here, we “groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:2).

Stop and consider this… You’ve been privileged to live in the most free and prosperous country in history.  People from all around the world want to come here to America.  As attested to by the thousands who are crossing our southern border every single day.  Still, our heavenly citizenship is of infinitely greater value. Kings and kingdoms come and go.  But heaven is forever (Hebrews 11:13-16, 12:28).  All the world suffers from corruption and decay because of sin.  Not so heaven.  We possess in heaven “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4).  It will not perish.  It is untouched by sin.  It’ll never go away. 

You know about politics.  You know how there is constant conflict and divisiveness.  So much so that it is literally tearing our country apart.  But it is different with heaven.  No earthly leader of any country is perfect.  We are all sinners by birth, and they are, too.  But in heaven, we’ve a perfect ruler.  Jesus is even now the ruler of the kings of the earth (Revelation 1:5).  He does all things well.  There will come a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess Him as Lord.  And rightly so, for He is our creator and our Savior.  He is rich in grace and mercy.  He cares so much that He willingly gave Himself up for our sins.  He is all wise and can never make a wrong decision about anything.  He has the power to subject all things to Himself.  He is a perfect King and His is a perfect Kingdom.

The greatest thing about heaven will be seeing Jesus.  Scripture tells us that we will marvel at Him when we see Him (2 Thessalonians 1:10)!  It is a matter which transcends our earthly ability to grasp.  We will be restored to what God intended for us before sin entered in.  In the presence of Jesus, all of our desires and needs will be finally and perfectly met.  And we will be reunited with those who have gone on before us.  As the song says, “Friends will be there I have loved long ago; joy like a river around me will flow; yet just a smile from my Savior, I know, will through the ages be glory for me!”

There will be a lot of “no longers” in heaven.  A lot of things will be missing when we get there: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away’ (Revelation 21:3-4).”  No longer any death, or mourning, or crying, or pain or sin!  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve shared this passage as a hospice chaplain. 

The Scottish preacher John McNeill liked to tell about an eagle that had been captured when it was quite young. The farmer who snared the bird put a restraint on it so it couldn’t fly, and then he turned it loose to roam in the barnyard. It wasn’t long till the eagle began to act like the chickens, scratching and pecking at the ground. This bird that once soared high in the heavens seemed satisfied to live the barnyard life of the lowly hen. One day the farmer was visited by a shepherd who came down from the mountains where the eagles lived. Seeing the eagle, the shepherd said to the farmer, “What a shame to keep that bird hobbled here in your barnyard! Why don’t you let it go?” The farmer agreed, so they cut off the restraint. But the eagle continued to wander around, scratching and pecking as before. The shepherd picked it up and set it on a high stone wall. For the first time in months, the eagle saw the grand expanse of blue sky and the glowing sun. Then it spread its wings and with a leap soared off into a tremendous spiral flight, up and up and up. At last, it was acting like an eagle again.

God would have us, as believers, to act like eagles.  Much better to soar into glory than to scratch in the dirt.  It is good to be a heavenly-minded Christian desiring—and being brought safely home to—a better country!

You’ve two citizenships, but one is of infinitely more value, for it foretells of a perfect and eternal place.  Be very glad for your heavenly citizenship as you eagerly await Jesus’ return!

This world is not my home, I’m just passin’ through
My treasures and my hopes are placed beyond the blue
Many friends and kin have gone on before and
I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

October 26

Bible Reading: Hebrews 10

Hebrews 10:19-25, “Therefore, brothers, 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, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

In this passage, the believer in Christ is exhorted to give attention to certain things on the basis of the tremendous advantage that has been availed to him by Jesus.  The phrase “since we have” speaks to the privileged access to God we enjoy (Hebrews 10:19).  The three “let us” statements speak to how we should respond: “let us draw near” (Hebrews 10:22); “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope” (Hebrews 10:23); and “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24).  It has been noted that the three “let us” admonitions deal respectively with the heart, the mouth, and the hands.

It is in this context that we find the oft-quoted reference to the need to be “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some” (Hebrews 10:25).  The context is relevant to the exhortation.  The believer in Christ is one to whom privileged access to “the holy places” has been availed by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19).  Not all share in that.  The unbeliever has neither desire nor ability to enter in (Romans 3:10-11; Ephesians 2:11-12).  The believer, on the other hand, possesses “boldness and access with confidence through (his) faith in Him” (Ephesians 2:12).  The sin-rebel turned worshiper possesses a Spirit-borne instinct to avail himself of the right of entry Jesus has “opened for us” (Hebrews 10:20).  The privilege won for us individually is shared by others and together we yearn by the Spirit to worship God. Such was the example of the earliest believers.  Having trusted in Jesus (Acts 2:41), they henceforth “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship” (Acts 2:42).  Put simply, they loved Jesus and devoted themselves to those things associated with Him (i.e., His Word and His people). 

The other “let us” admonitions are likewise relevant to the “Why go to church?” (i.e., “why meet together”) question.  There is the need to “hold fast to the confession of our hope” (Hebrews 10:23).   Why do people stop attending church?  It is indeed “the habit of some” (Hebrews 10:25).  We’ve all seen it happen.  Have they not wavered in their “confession of hope?”  They had previously enjoyed the fellowship of believers, but something worked to dissuade and discourage them.  They counted the cost associated with the maintenance of fellowship and deemed it to be too costly.  Tragically, in forsaking fellowship, they forsake that very thing that could work to encourage them to “hold fast” (Hebrews 10:23, 25).

The worshiping community is exhorted to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24).  A healthy church is characterized by such practices.  And a sure sign of pending disability in the life of a believer is the failure to apply oneself to these practical aspects of worship.  There is joy to be experienced in the authentic worship, which is characterized by serving Jesus in serving others.  The professing believer who is not thereby stirred up is likely to stagnate unto disappointment.

Why go to church?  Because you, as a believer in Christ, love Jesus, and church is the place where you gather with others to worship Him and serve Him.  Why go to church?  Because you love Jesus, and that is the place where you go to hear His Word, that you might grow in Him.  Why go to church?  Because you love Jesus, and you love to meet together with His people.   Fellowship with other like-minded believers is not an obligation to be disdained or avoided, but a privilege to be whole-heartingly embraced.  In these troubled times, it is necessary “all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25).

The fellowship of believers is not an obligation to be avoided, but a privilege to be embraced, because you love Jesus!

Blest be the tie that binds
our hearts in Christian love;
the fellowship of kindred minds
is like to that above.

October 25

Bible Reading: Hebrews 9

Hebrews 9:27-28, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

The significance of the phrase “once-for-all” as it is used in Scripture cannot be overstated (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 9:26, 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18).  When it comes to paying for sin, Christ did all that was necessary.  It is a settled matter.  Finally.  Permanently.  Awareness of this reality has direct bearing on our worship and our walk as Christians.

The sacrifice of Jesus was of a much better nature than the sacrifices offered by the Old Testament priests.  In this chapter the author of Hebrews speaks to this matter.  The Old Testament priest entered into the “holy places every year with blood not his own” (Hebrews 9:25).  Jesus “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” (Hebrews 9:12).  The Old Testament priest offered sacrifices that were able only to “sanctify for the purification of the flesh” (Hebrews 9:13).  The blood of Jesus, on the other hand, is able to “purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14).  The Old Testament priests entered only into a holy place made with hands (Hebrews 9:24).  Jesus entered “into heaven itself” and now resides “in the presence of God on our behalf” (Hebrews 9:24; 4:14).  The Old Testament priests made repeated sacrifices (Hebrews 9:25; 7:27).  Jesus “appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 26). 

Jesus’ death represents a final “once-for-all” sacrifice for sin.  This phrase is used repeatedly by the author to describe its nature (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12; 9:26; 10:10).  The “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” died on the cross for sins (John 1:29).  He “who knew no sin” was “made…to be sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  He said, “It is finished” and “bowed up his spirit” (John 19:30).  “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:50).  In suffering “once for sins” Jesus has worked to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 2:13).

William Vine has commented on this, “Man’s life and work on earth end with death. The results only remain, as determined by divine judgment. So also, the death of Christ is final. There was nothing further to be done by sacrifice for sin.”

William Vine

The believer in Christ is one who has experienced “eternal redemption” on the basis of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 9:12).  Religions suppose that it is somehow possible to earn salvation. 

Charles Spurgeon once spoke of the need to trust explicitly in Christ’s finished work, “Great care must be taken that this faith is exercised upon Christ for a complete salvation, and not for a part of it. Numbers of persons think that the Lord Jesus is available for the pardon of past sin, but they cannot trust Him for their preservation in the future. They trust for years past, but not for years to come, whereas no such sub-division of salvation is ever spoken of in Scripture as the work of Christ. Either He bore all our sins, or none; and He either saves us once for all, or not at all. His death can never be repeated, and it must have made expiation for the future sin of believers, or they are lost, since no further atonement can be supposed, and future sin is certain to be committed. Blessed be His name, ‘by Him all that believe are justified from all things.’ Salvation by grace is eternal salvation. Sinners must commit their souls to the keeping of Christ to all eternity; how else are they saved men? Alas! According to the teaching of some, believers are only saved in part, and for the rest must depend upon their future endeavors. Is this the gospel? I trust not. Genuine faith trusts a whole Christ for the whole of salvation.”

Charles Spurgeon

Even years of good deed doing cannot pay your debt of sin. Only Christ, by His death on the cross, can do that.  And He has done that once for all!

Once, only once, and once for all,
his precious life he gave;
before the cross our spirits fall,
and own it strong to save.

October 24

Bible Reading: Hebrews 8

Hebrews 8:13, “In speaking of the new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete.  And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”

Something is said to be obsolete when it is no longer in use.  I used to have a typewriter.  It was helpful in preparing documents, but you can rarely find them anymore.  Practically no one uses them.  They are obsolete, having been replaced by personal computers that can do the job much faster and better.  Typewriters have gone the way of slide rules, horse-drawn carriages, eight-track tapes, VHS players, and other such things.  Few feel compelled to use an old thing when there is a similar new thing that is better.

The word translated “growing old” in this passage is the Greek term “gerasko” from which we get the English Word “geriatric.”  Both terms speak to that which is related to “growing old.”  In the progress of God’s revelation, there is a “first covenant” and a “second” (Hebrews 8:7).  The first was the Mosaic covenant, and though there was nothing inherently wrong with it—the Apostle Paul referred to it as being “holy and righteous and good” (Romans 7:12)—it was ineffectual because of sin (Hebrews 7:18-19).  The old covenant is both obsolete and growing old.

It’s possible to find oneself stuck in an old covenant way of living, though God has availed to us something far superior.  That far superior thing is the new covenant.  The old covenant could not bring people to perfection.  Its role was to serve as a reminder of sin (Hebrews 10:3).  It has no ability to impart life (Galatians 3:21) and served in a limited role as a “guardian until Christ came” (Galatians 3:24).  Through the law, sin is “shown to be sin” (Romans 7:13).  In the history of man there has been but One who has perfectly upheld the law—He died for those who couldn’t.

To be stuck in an old covenant way of living is to adopt a merit-based approach to one’s walk.  According to that approach, Christianity is nothing more than a series of dos and don’ts and rules and regulations.  But the believer in Christ is one who has been called to a new covenant way of life.  It is no longer we who live, but Christ living in us (Galatians 2:20).  We live a victorious life by the power of the indwelling Spirit, not by human self-effort.  “For the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed it cannot” (Romans 8:7). 

“So, my friend, we are not under the Mosaic system.  God says that is an old model and He has brought in a new model…The Law was incapable of producing any good thing in man…The Holy Spirit is now able to do the impossible.  The Holy Spirit can produce a holy life in weak and sinful flesh.”

J. Vernon McGee

Elwood McQuaid has likewise commented on God’s provision of a better covenant: “The key word in Hebrews is better.  The good things of biblical Judaism had been made better in Jesus Christ.  He is better than angels (Hebrews 1:4).  He is better than Moses (Hebrews 3:3).  He is better than Aaron (Hebrews 7:11-22).  His New Covenant is better than the Old (Hebrews 8:6-13).  Judaism, in the divine plan, had become only a “shadow of things to come” (Colossians 2:17).  Its temporary role gave way to Christ, who transformed the shadow into substance and reared a ‘greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands’ (Hebrews 9:11). For Christ has 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” (Hebrews 9:24).  In totality, Hebrews emphatically sets forth the departure of the Old Covenant, with its institutions and rituals, in favor of Christ and the New Covenant.  As the Law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, Judaism, with its sanctuary, sacrifices, services, and ceremonies, served to identify Him.  Once this was done, biblical Judaism had served its lofty purpose.  It was consummated in Christ.” 

Elwood McQuaid

Jesus has availed to us a by-grace salvation that will never grow old or obsolete.

Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law’s demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.

October 23

Bible Reading: Hebrews 7

Hebrews 7:25, “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

The context of this verse has to do with the superiority of Jesus over the “former priests” (Hebrews 7:23)—the overall context of this section of the book (Hebrews 4:14-7:28).  There were numerous former priests as they were prevented, by death, from continuing in office.  By way of contrast, Jesus holds his priesthood permanently.  His priesthood is forever (Hebrews 7:3; 13:8).

There is also, in this context, a glorious description of Jesus in His high priestly role.  He is “holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26).  In each of these virtues, He was distinctly superior to his former counterparts.  These characteristics likewise set Him apart from every other man and every other religious leader that has ever lived.

He is “holy.”  The term has reference to that which is “religiously right, holy, as opposed to what is unrighteous or polluted” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary).  Jesus is perfectly righteous in His person and ways.  He is “innocent.”  He “knew no sin” and “committed no son” (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22).  He never thought a sinful thought, never did a sinful deed, and never uttered a sinful word.  He is “unstained.”  He walked amongst sinners, but was unstained by sin.  He was “in every respect…tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

“He is like us, yet unlike us.  He could mix and mingle with sinners, and they didn’t feel uncomfortable in HIs presence, but He was not one of them.  His enemies accused Him of associating with publicans and sinners.  He sure did, yet He wasn’t one of them.  He was separated from sinners.” 

J. Vernon McGee

He is “exalted above the heavens.”  The former priests entered once a year into the holy of holies, but Jesus has “passed through the heavens” (Hebrews 4:14).  The Risen Savior abides in heaven even now and “lives to make intercession” for those who draw near to God through Him (Hebrews 7:25).

What a Savior!  It is He alone who is “able to save to the uttermost” (Hebrews 7:25).  The term translated “uttermost” means either “forever” or “completely” (the Greek term used can mean both).  The context leans towards the “forever” interpretation of the term, but the “complete” aspect of His salvation is implied here and mentioned elsewhere.  The salvation provisioned by God through Christ to the believer is no half-hearted salvation.  In every aspect, salvation has to do primarily with salvation from sin.  It includes three aspects—justification, sanctification, and glorification.  There is justification (i.e., salvation from the penalty of sin).  The repeated sacrifices of the former priests were of limited value (Hebrews 9:13).  By His “once-for-all” sacrifice, Christ has worked to secure an internal and eternal cleansing from sin (Hebrews 9:12, 14).  There is sanctification (i.e., freedom from the practice of sin).  By His sacrifice, the believer is cleansed “from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14).  There is glorification (i.e., freedom from the presence of sin).  The work of salvation is a miraculous thing.  Something that man could never hope to devise or accomplish.  We all need a Savior, and in Jesus, we have One who is preeminently qualified and able (Hebrews 7:25).

He is able to save to the uttermost!  J. C. Ryle concluded a sermon on this text with the following invitation: “I would offer counsel, first, to all who are anxious and troubled respecting their soul’s salvation, and yet know not what to do…Say nothing about yourself but this, —that you are a sinner, a great sinner, a guilty sinner, a condemned sinner; but because you are a sinner, you turn to God.  Come unto Him in the name of Jesus, saying, you have heard that through Jesus a sinner may come near Him.  Tell Him that you are a sinner, a great sinner, and an unworthy one.  But tell Him that you come in the faith of His promises, in the confidence of His own Bible invitation; and in the name of Jesus, and for the sake of Jesus, and on account of Jesus, you ask to be received, heard, pardoned, forgiven, and accepted.  Tell Him that you wish to have your name—even that name of yours, connected hitherto with worldliness, thoughtlessness, carelessness, and sin added to the list of God’s dear children….”

J. C. Ryle

“What a wonderful redemption!  Never can a mortal know.  How my sin, though red as crimson, can be whiter than the snow.” – Thoro Harris

How great the salvation that saves in gloom
Of valley and shadow, that light up the tomb
With glory immortal, and shouts o’er the grave
The triumph of Jesus, the mighty to save!

October 20

Bible Reading: Hebrews 6

Hebrews 6:19, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.”

On February 4, 1999, a ship, the New Carissa, was bound for the Port of Coos Bay, Oregon to pick up a load of wood chips.  The ship’s crew was informed by the local bar pilots that weather conditions would prevent the ship from entering the harbor until the next morning.  In order to ride out the storm, the captain instructed the ship to drop anchor at a safe distance from the coast.  The crew dropped anchor, but the anchor line was too short.  Heavy winds drove the ship to the shore where it ran aground.  The recovery and cleanup after the incident resulted in tens of millions of dollars in costs, although no lives were lost.  The New Carissa was provisioned with a suitable anchor, but not being well-positioned it was of no help in the situation.  A “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” has been provisioned by God to the believer in Christ.

We have need of an “anchor of the soul.”  “Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold, threaten the soul with infinite loss” (“Grace Greater Than Our Sin”).  We face trials and temptations of many kinds.  An untethered soul will inevitably be “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 3:14).

The anchor provisioned by God is both “sure” and “steadfast.”  The word “sure” speaks of that which is firm and certain.  “Steadfast” speaks to the anchor’s security when placed under stress.  The hope of the believing soul is such that it is both firm and unassailable.  It is that because of who God is.  God has promised salvation to the believer.  The believer’s assurance is based on “two unchangeable things” (Hebrews 6:18)—His promise and His oath (Hebrews 6:13-18).  Since “it is impossible for God to lie,” we know that in Him we have a suitable and trustworthy anchor.  Charles Spurgeon commented on this, “When a gale is rushing towards the shore, blowing great guns and the vessel cannot hold her course and must surely be driven upon an iron-bound coast, then an anchor is worth its weight in gold!”

An anchor is of no value if it is not laid hold of by means of a rope or cable.  The author of Hebrews spoke to those “who have fled for refuge…to hold fast to the hope set before (them)” (Hebrews 6:18).  How is a soul tethered to the sure and steadfast anchor?  Is it not by faith?  “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  Faith “flees for refuge” to the unseen Christ.  It lays hold of him by faith and by faith works to bind oneself tightly to Him.  No one can be saved apart from it.  And by it, the believer experiences both security and stability.

Note the place to which the anchor is secured.  It “enters into the inner place behind the curtain” (Hebrews 6:19).  The well-anchored soul is tethered to heaven itself.  He is bound to heaven’s shore!  And though we face the winds and waves of adversity here, all is calm in that harbor.  Is your soul even now bound by such an anchor to such a glorious place?

Charles Spurgeon concluded a sermon on this topic with these words, “My cable has grown shorter of late, a great many of its links have vanished.  I am nearer my hope than when I first believed.  Every day hope nears fruition!  Let our joy in it become more exultant.  A few more weeks or months and we shall dwell above!  And while we shall need no anchor to hold us fast, we shall eternally bless that Divine condescension which produced such a holdfast for our unstable minds while tossed upon this sea of care!  What will those of you do who have no anchor?  A storm is coming on!  I see the lowering clouds and hear the distant hurricane!  What will you do?  May the Lord help you at once to flee for refuge to the hope set before you.  Amen.”

Charles Spurgeon

None but Jesus can ensure our salvation and anchor us securely to our heavenly home.

And it holds, my anchor holds:
Blow your wildest, then, O gale,
On my bark so small and frail;
By His grace I shall not fail,
For my anchor holds, my anchor holds.
(My Anchor Holds, William C. Martin)

October 19

Bible Reading: Hebrews 5

John 11:35, “Jesus wept.”

Luke 19:41-44, “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’”

Hebrews 5:7, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.”

You’ve read no doubt, of how Jesus wept at a funeral.  The “man of sorrows”…who was “acquainted with grief,” wept, though He was well aware that He would soon raise Lazarus from the dead.  The One who took on human flesh to rescue lost humans, embraced the sorrow of the grieving, with the full understanding of death’s ultimate cause and cure.  He wept at that funeral because He cared.  Love would lead Him down a sorrow-filled path and to a cross which would work to put death to death.

The Scriptures reveal two other occasions in which Jesus wept.  He wept over the city of Jerusalem.  “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:11).  Their rejection would bring unimaginable suffering and death when Rome besieged and destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70. Jesus knew all about it and he wept.  He had come to save.  He would give His all.  But hardened hearts had no room for Him!  It is a glorious truth that God “desires all people to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4).  Contrarily, the eternal doom of those who “do not obey the gospel” is good cause for tears (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Romans 9:1-3).

Finally, our text here in Hebrews speaks again of the tears of Jesus, “when he “offered up prayers and supplication, with loud cries and tears” (Hebrews 5:7).  Our thinking is drawn back to the Garden of Gethsemane.  We are told that Jesus was “sorrowful, even to death” (Matthew 26:38), and that being in agony at that “his sweat became as great drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44).  The “Man of Sorrows” was to drink His own cup of sorrows, and He was well aware of the unimaginable pain and suffering lay ahead in taking on the sin of the world (John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 5:21).  He prayed three times, asking if it were possible that the cup would be removed from Him.  But the cup was according to the Father’s will, and as always, He embraced that.  The triumph over sin and death would come at infinite cost. “Yet it was the will of the Father to crush him (and) put him to grief” (Isaiah 53:10).

Phil Newton describes Jesus’ agonizing in Gethsemane this way: “All of the purity of his soul would be opened to the pitch-black darkness of human sinfulness. Our lies, lusts, deceitfulness, anger, complaining, cheating accompanied an innumerable host of sins, saturating as a sponge in water upon the spotless bosom of Jesus Christ. Our rebellion against the Law of God and our unbelief in Him as a merciful Redeemer in all of its lurid detail strikes the Son. In His own being He felt the combined weight of the world’s sins. That is why we find Him agonizing in the Garden as He fulfilled His high priestly office. He was soon to ‘appear before God’ on our behalf, sprinkling His own blood upon the mercy seat, satisfying the divine cry of ‘Justice, Justice, Justice!’ See Him bearing your sin. See Him agonizing over His separation from the Father. See how He feels the pains of hell upon His own spotless soul…Look at Him who ‘offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears.’ What was he doing? As the only sinless man he was expressing the agony of bearing sin; and as the only great high priest he was submitting to the will of the Father…The Father sustained the Son through the trauma of the cross, so that he might declare, ‘It is finished!’  His prayers were heard and the answer came as he successfully bore the judgment of God for us at the Cross and then rose from the dead in victory!”

Phil Newton

Jesus wept on the way to the way to the cross, so we could one day reside in a place where there’ll be no more tears.

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song;
As the burdens press, and the cares distress,
And the way grows weary and long?

O yes, He cares- I know He cares!
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.