KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Thursday, December 22, 2016
Chapters: Hebrews 6-10
Message: Patiently Enduring With Christ
Hello My Friend,
There are times where we can read the Bible and nothing really grabs our attention, other times our minds are full or thoughts. It is quite fitting that the reading this week has to do with the blood of Christ since we are celebrating His birth in a couple of days. The truth is, many people know God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him can have eternal life, but very few understand that He came here specifically to die for their sins in order for Him to do that. A lot of our walk with Christ has to do with faith, we cannot believe one part of the Bible and not the other, we must believe all of it, and let em tell you, walking with Christ will test your faith, but if we patiently endure we will receive the promise. “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” – James 1:3-4.
Okay, so I have chapter 6 listed again as part of today’s reading because it fit better with the chapters. In doing so God brought this to my attention, when God promises He will do something He is going to test our faith to see if we will be patient in fulfilling them. Paul reminds us that Abraham was promised a son, but it was after he patiently endured that he received that promise. “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 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: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;” – Hebrews 6:13-19.
“after he had patiently endured,” Patient; waiting without complaining, endure; not give up. Abraham was not always perfect in waiting for God’s promise to send him, in fact, under the instruction of his wife he had a child with their Egyptian maid, which resulted in Ishmael and the entire Muslim race, but once he understood that God alone would fulfill the promise he waited without complaining, holding on to his faith and when Sarah was ninety years old she had Isaac. Much of the reasoning behind God making us wait for things is so that we learn to put our complete and utter trust in Him alone. “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” – Hebrews 10:36.
When God promised to send His Son to bring reconciliation and permanent redemption to man it took Him some four thousand years, if you look closely you will see that everything God put together for a temporary solution was a foreshadow of Christ. From the tabernacle to the sacrifices, to the priest that would mediate between God and man, it all represented Christ. But the problem with the priests was that they too were sinners, they had to be consecrated (redeemed of their sins) before they could even perform the ceremony. Jesus changed all that we He not only became the sacrifice, but the sinless High Priest for all, which changed the need for the law.
“For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 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. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” – Hebrews 7:12,19,22-28,
“when he offered up himself.” Only Jesus was able to pull this off, anyone can sacrifice their lives to save man, soldiers die every day to keep our countries safe, but only Jesus is the perfect, sinless, lamb able to save the soul from entering hell when the body dies. God knew that even with the Law people could not do enough good to keep themselves from facing an eternity in hell. That is why He instituted the Messianic Law, saved by grace through Christ. Paul reminds the Jews that the first law was merely an example of the second. The tent used to offer God a sacrifice in return for their lives was a foreshadow of Christ, who would give His life for all, and once and for all redeem every soul who believes in Him, the Law of Moses was not faultless, but it was necessary
“For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.” – Hebrews 8:7-13.
“And they shall not teach every man his neighbour,” What a day that will be when everyone will know God and we will not have to go door to door preaching the Gospel because everyone will know Christ, even Israel. I will be the first to admit that I do not understand why God saw it necessary for the shedding of blood to redeem a person from their sin, the only thing I can think of is that without our blood we would be dead so it would be fitting that blood is needed to give us life. Paul explains that blood is what purges or purifies us.
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 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: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 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. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 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.” – Hebrews 9:22-28.
“and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Remission; Forgiveness; pardon. Once a person admits they have sinned, believes in Christ and receives Him as their Saviour they are forgiven, pardoned of their sins. All the sin in our lives got covered by the blood of Christ shed on the cross, presenting ourselves before God as perfect, without sin. What the law could not do, Jesus did on the cross once and for all.
“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. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” – Hebrews 10:1-6,10,14.
“but a body hast thou prepared me:” Jesus prepared His body by being perfect, sinless, sacrifice that would give redemption permanently. It was not the burnt offerings and sacrifices that meant anything to God, it was their faith in Him. Why do you think God only chose one group to be His people? He wants us to come to Him by faith, not by force or obligation. If we choose to have God in our lives, we need to have faith in Him, and that includes His Son. While the Jews were His people first, and will always have a special place in His heart, we must have faith in His Son if we want to be His people. When we choose Christ, we choose God, and trust in His perfect, sinless sacrifice alone for our salvation. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” – Hebrews 11:6.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 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.” – Hebrews 9:11-12.
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your never ending mercy and grace for this sinner, You never cease to be there for me even when I am not always there for You. It’s quite shocking to realize that no matter what I do I am still saved, because I am trusting in Your Son alone for my redemption. Walking by faith is not always easy, but I know that when I am patient in my faith I will receive Your promise. Lord, lead me and guide me, keep reminding me of how much You have changed my life for the better and what is waiting for me as I continue living my life for You. Let me not be tempted or put in a position to go against Your will, watch over me, keep me protected, and always looking to Jesus. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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