Psalm 1

We live in the world where often the voice of the "wicked", "sinners" or "mockers" (particularly the latter) seems to dominate, and is considered clever. But it is those who do not follow their ways who are blessed. We need to know and remember this. Not so we have a superior "holier than thou" attitude, but that we are confident in our Lord, and can resist attacks.

The ones who are blessed are those who delight in the Lord and His ways. We are to meditate on His word. It is important what we do with our mind, and we must ensure that we spend time thinking about God and His ways. If we spend time on the wrong things, then it will produce bad fruit in our life. But if we devote ourselves to the Lord, then we will have a constant source of goodness flowing into our lives. It will bring true prosperity in to our lives.

The wicked may seem to prosper for a time, or to be lauded for a season, but they will come to nothing. The ultimate judge on all things is God, not the media, not men, but the living God.

Hebrews 13:18-25

The writer urges them to pray for him, and that he might be "restored to them soon". This indicates that the writer knew the recipients well.

He then closes with a final greeting, reminding them of what God has done for them. He is the God of peace, and the one who raised Jesus from the dead. He prays that God will equip them with all that they need in order to do His will.We have an unlimited supply in God.

The final words mention Timothy, who is presumably the Timothy who worked closely with Paul. These last few verses are really the only part of the letter which seems to lend support to Paul being the author.

Hebrews 13:15-17

We are to offer a sacrifice of praise. Ie the offerings we are to make are not sacirfices of animals, but a continual offering of praise. Ourlife is to be filled with praise of what Christ has done for us. We need to be aware of our sin, but we are not to be weighed down by it, for the good news is that Jesus has dealt with the problem of sin. He has paid the price for our sins, and He has sent the Holy Spirit so that we can be transformed.. Sin is not a something where we have to search for the answer, it is somethign where we have to apply the answer.

The writer immediately turns to some more practical applications of what this means for our lives. Praise is not just a matter of singing songs or hymns (though these do matter and do make a difference), but of our lives. As Paul says in Romans we are to be a living sacrifice.

We are to share with each other and do good. We are not to become self-centred. We are to obey and submit to our leaders. Leading is difficult, but we are to do our best to make our leaders task and enjoyable one. There is nothing worse than having to deal with people who are contunually griping and moaning about something. We then also fins that our leaders do a much better job.

Hebrews 13:11-14

The writer draws an analogy between the animal sacrifices being sacrificed outside the camp, and Jesus being crucified outside the city. Perhaps some had mocked Jesus' death. We do not appreciate what a thing of shame and disgrace being crucified was, as well as the shear pain and horror of it. In the eyes of society the cross labelled someone as worthless, as a reject. While Jesus was rejected by the world, the cross made us acceptable to God.

Those who believed in Jesus were rejected by society, and the same is increasingly true (though on a less severe level) today. But if Jesus went outside the city to be sacrificed, we should be willing to go "outside" to worship Him. We need to be willing to share His disgrace. For our true home is the City of God, we look for approval from God, not from the world.

Hebrews 13:7-10

This tells us both about how leaders should behave, and our attitude towards them Leaders should speak the word of God, and their lives should be examples of God's grace working in a man or woman's life. Our lives are to show that the gospel "works". We are to respect our leaders.

Jesus does not change. This does not mean we must not adapt and change as society changes, but the substance must remain the same.

We are to be on our guard against strange teachings. At the time of Hebrews the false teachings often involved encouraging people to follow ceremonial laws if various sorts. These would be of no benefit to them. This is not such an issue today, but we are subject to other false teachings. In charismatic circles false teachings will often involve talk of angels, seeking to impress people with experiences.

We need to ask ourselves what are we being impressed by? It is only grace that can truly strengthen our hearts.

Hebrews 13:4-6

Sexual sins do not matter. In every letter where the writer is giving instructions for godly behaviour sexual morality is almost always mentioned. This is because sexual behaviour has a deep effect on our lives. We are to honour marriage, and behave properly within marriage. This instruction is very pertinent given the current politcal debates about marriage.

Next to sex, money is the biggest sin trap that we can fall into. The antidote is not poverty, but keeping our lives free from the love of money and contentment.

Note the motivation for these instructions, it is because we can have complete trust in the Lord. People chase after money for all sorts of reasons, but two of the main ones can be: (i) to fill a hole in our lives, thinking possessions will plug it; (ii) the other is to seek after it as a source of security. Much the same can apply to sex as well!

The motivation is our security in God. He is on our side, and He is our helper. We need to dwell on these facts and let them permeate our whole attitude and approach to life.

Hebrews 13:1-3

We are to worship God with reverence and awe, and we are to love one another as brothers and sisters. This echoes Jesus' summing up of the Law as love God with all you have got, and love each other as you love yourself.

This is then made immediately practical by urging us to show hospitality to strangers. In our society we have an inherent suspicion of people we do not know, and are becoming increasingly distrustful. Without becoming fools, we need to guard against this. The reference to angels probably harks back to Abraham entertaining the three visitors. If we do entertain strangers we may be taking a risk, but if we do not we are also throwing away an opportunity.

The reference to visiting those in prison probably refers primarily to Christians who have been imprisoned for their faith, but could have a wider application as well. It would be easy to forget people in prison, but they are urged not to do so.

Hebrews 12:18-29

These verses allude to the meeting with God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19). This was a terrifying experience and emphasised the barrier between God and man. They were not allowed to approach God, only Moses and Aaron were allowed to do that. We have not come to a God who cannot be reached.

Instead we have come to the true Jerusalem, the true city of God. The old covenant, with the blood of Abel being an example, spoke primarily about judgement. It emphasised sin and the need to eradicate it. The new covenant speaks about myriads of angels praising God joyfully, to the church of the first born, to the God who is still the judge of all, but has also forgiven all who believe in Jesus.

There are two signs of a false gospel that are revealed here. One is if it teaches separation from God. Jesus died to tear apart the veil of separation. We can now approach the living God with boldness. But the other false teaching is to teach a casualness. For the writer also makes it clear that we are to approach with reverence and with awe. The intimacy and awe go together. If we emphasise one at the expense of the other we are going down the wrong road.

Hebrews 12:14-17

We are to do our best to live in peace with everyone, rather than being disputatious or deliberately antagonistic. We are also to live lives that are worthy of the Lord. It is only if we live as holy people, ie people set apart for God, that people will see the Lord. We are the Lord's witnesses on the earth.

We not to fall short of the grace of God, or fails to grasp the grace of God What does this mean? Living in the grace of God means a whole new way of living. It is not a religious life, it is not one of striving to prove we are better than others. It is one of knowing that God has forgiven us all our sins, and is giving us the power to live a Christlike life.

In particular we must avoid bitterness arising, for this is utterly destructive. We can become bitter about circumstances, about things that have happened to us. This will do us no good, even if what happened was totally unfair. Instead we must approach life knowing that the grace of God will enable us to overcome all things. Nor must we be bitter against other people. We can have hate against others, or we can be resentful of others who we see as being unfairly advantaged over us. We must not allow either of these attitudes to take hold. Instead we must trust in the grace of God.

Esau is cited as an example of how things can go wrong. He allowed the difficulty of the moment to lead him into making a stupid decision. We must live for God all of the time.

Hebrews 12:4-13

The "struggle against sin" referred to in verse 4 probably means the struggle of facing opposition from those who do not believe. The struggle against sin has two aspects. One is the internal struggle that we all have in overcoming the sin in our own lives, and this is the aspect we think of most often. But there is also the struggle against sin in the world, which means that the world system and individuals in the world will oppose us because of our faith. Here the writer is probably referring to the latter, and has just reminded them of the suffering that Christ had to endure.

The writer then goes on to the internal struggle for he now starts to talk about discipline from the Father. We find the internal struggle difficult, not just because of the very fact of the temptation of sin, but of not knowing how to cope when we have done something wrong, have realised and admitted it, and want to be different. We feel guilty and cannot imagine how God can still love us. The writer reminds us that a good father disciplines his children. God disciplines us. He does this not to punish us, but to transform us, to train us the right ways. Most importantly, He does this because He loves us.

So we are to take the Lord's discipline seriously, and to be encouraged by it, not discouraged. For the fact that He disciplines us means that He loves us, and that He believes in us. He believes that we can be better.

So instead of giving up, we should strengthen ourselves and increase our resolve to fight on in the battle.

Hebrews 12:1-3

The writer sees all these examples of men and women of faith as an encouragement and motivation to us. There are a vast number of people who have proved in their lives that God is faithful. There are the examples in the Bible, there are examples of people throughout the world and throughout history, and there will be peopl in your local church who have shown that faith works.

So we are to throw off all hindrances, and one of the greatest hindrances is sin. Sin entangles us, it obscures and complicates things. We have all sinned, so we can see the truth of this from our own lives. Consider what happens to your own thinking when you sin, eg if you lie, or try to deceive someone, or let hatred get a hold of you. We no longer think straight in such situations. When we repent things become an awful lot clearer and simpler.

Jesus has marked out a path for our lives, it is one lived by faith in Him, and obedience to Him. This path will not be easy. Jesus Himself was prepared to endure pain and suffering because of the joy that lay at the end of it. And so He received a great reward. We are to meditate on the person and work of Jesus, and this will help to encourage us.

Hebrews 11:30-40

The falling of the walls of Jericho is one of most well known episodes in the Bible. As with the Passover Lamb, there is no natural reason why their marching around the city should have caused the walls to fall. It was an act of faith. We need to live by faith in order to see God do things.

Rahab the prostitute demonstrated faith. She believed that the Israelites would take over the city, when a natural assessment of the situation would have said this was unlikely. We need to be consider which people we welcome. James warns against favouring the rich and powerful over the weak and poor. To follow this instruction is an act of faith. For a natural view would be to say that it is wise to favour the powerful so that they can do us a favour. But the Bible makes it clear that God is on the side of the poor, so we should be on the side of the poor.

The writer then lists a whole series of incidents, some specific, some more general. Two key points are that their weakness was turned to strength, and that the world was not worthy of them. Being persecuted does not fell like a glorious thing, so the writer is trying to encourage his readers. They are not the first to face opposition, and will not be the last.

The closing sentence of this chapter is very important as it expresses the context of the writer's teaching. He has not been teaching a faith can give you everything teaching in a cheap sense that it is sometimes given. Faith does work, but it is not an easy route. The people in the Old Testament did not receive the goal of their faith, they would only do so along with us. They were looking for something better, and God had planned something better.

Hebrews 11:26-29

By faith he left Egypt. This presumably refers to Moses leaving with the Israelites, rather than his enforced departure after killing an Egyptian. Moses had to persevere in doing miracles, one was not enough to convince Pharaoh to let them go. Moses did this because his faith was in God. Often we will need to persevere in faith, one declaration of faith, or one prayer will not be enough. We need to be persistent in faith and prayer. We persevere because we see the one true God.

Moses kept the Passover by faith. How was this an act of faith? Well there is no practical way in which sacrificing a lamb and smearing the blood on the door would make an ounce of difference. It made a difference only because God had commanded it, and it was God who was sending the angel of death. Sometimes God tells us to do things and it is obvious how they will make a difference, at other times it is not. The only reason the cross will save us is because it is God Himself who will judge us.

After escaping they came to the Red Sea, and naturally speaking there was no way forward and no way back. The only was forward was through faith. Moses acted on what God said, and the sea was parted. Moreover, the Egyptians were drowned because they did not have faith.

Hebrews 11:22-25

Joseph had seen his dreams come true when his brothers and parents did indeed bow down to  him in Egypt. However, he was looking beyond this. He saw that God had a greater salvation, and he looked forward to the day when they would return to the land promised to them by God. We may receive promises from God, we may have ambitions, we may receive words relating to our own service of God. This can be good, but whatever God may do in and through us personally, we must always bear in mind God's greater plan for the church as a whole.

Moses' parents hid him when there was an edict out against all Hebrew male babies. They sought to save their son because they had a greater hope, and believed that God had a special purpose for their son.

Moses, though brought up in Pharaoh's place, refused to stay there. He had a greater purpose on his heart, to see the salvation of Israel. There are two important lessons we can learn from this. One is that Moses' actions seemed to end in failure. For the outcome was that he ended up in exile for forty years, yet the Bible here says it was an act of faith. Sometimes we do things for the best of reasons and from a pure heart, yet it all goes wrong. We should take encouragement from the fact that God is more interested in our hearts than the result of our actions. The second thing is that Moses' actions involved suffering. He put the purposes of God above his own personal comfort.

Hebrews 11:20,21

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob (Genesis 27:27-40). This is a difficult one, for the obvious reading of the story is that Jacob deceived Isaac, so the natural question is where is the faith? Perhaps one we should look at it like this. Isaac knew he had to bless the eldest son, so when Jacob appeared, albeit pretending to be Esau, Isaac thought he was doing the right thing, blessing the eldest son. We often worry about all sorts of things, wondering how they will work out (or how they will go wrong!). Isaac had no need to worry about that, based on what he knew he did the right thing, it was up to God how things worked out beyond that.

What I am saying is that we should make the best decisions we can, based on what we know, and what we know to be right, then we can let God worry about the rest. We can trust Him.

Jacob blessed each of his sons by faith, seeing what would become of them.

Hebrews 11:17-19

The sacrifice of Isaac is one of the most troubling episodes in Abraham's life. We find it hard to imagine how God could ask such a thing of a man, especially given the circumstances (see blogs starting http://dundeebeliever.blogspot.com/2009/05/genesis-2212.html for more comments.

It seemed as if God was telling Abraham to destroy the very thing that He had promised to him, the one he had lived for, and had followed and believed God for. If he did this it seemed as if there was no way God's promise of numerous descendants could be fulfilled.

In spite of all this Abraham obeyed God. To the Jews becoming Christians would seem like they were throwing away the heritage that God had promised to them, and the means of receiving that promise. Yet, like Abraham, things would work out differently. God did not in the end require the sacrifice, but provided the sacrifice himself. Abraham acted in faith.

Two of the key aspects of faith are (i) doing what God says; (ii) knowing that somehow or other God will work things out.

Hebrews 11:13-16

None of these people received the fulness of what was promised when they died, they lived by faith throughout their lives. We too have toi live by faith all our lives. We will receive a foretaste of what is to come, and should expect God to make a great difference to our lives, but we will not receive the fulness until we die or Christ returns.

Now we must not make the opposite mistake and think then that life here does not matter that much. The Bible is completely clear that how we live now does matter.

The key feature is what are we looking for in life. The heroes of faith were looking for something greater, something better than what hey already had. Part of the Christian life is a dissatisfaction with the way things are. Not in a complaining way, but in a hopeful way, knowing things can, and one day will be, better.

God loves people who have this desire in their hearts, for it shows a kinship with Him. It shows that there is something inside us that is longing for the things that are on His heart. And, as Jesus said, the kingdom of God was made for such people.

Hebrews 11:10-12

Abraham was looking for the city whose architect and builder was God. This is what we should be doing. We have a terrible tendency to look for a city whose architect and builder is man. We see this even in churches, where we will be very easily seduced into following something that is man made.

Faith applied to Sarah as well as Abraham, for she was the one who actually had the child. We should also note that their path was not easy or straightforward, nor were they perfect. Ishmael is the biggest example of their failings.

Yet from these weak humans came numerous descendants. God's kingdom has never been built upon human strength or wisdom.

Hebrews 11:8,9

We now come to the supreme example of faith in the Old Testament, Abraham. First he left his homeland and went to another place. This would be relevant to the Jewish Christians who must have felt they were abandoning the familiarity of Judaism when they became Christians.

Notice also that Abraham "went even though he did not know where he was going". There is a lot of nonsense talked about being specific, either knowing exactly what God wants you to do, or being specific in prayer. The truth is that there is no hard and fast rule on this matter. Sometimes God gives you immense detail, at other times He will tell you very little. Sometimes we should pray in precise detail for something, at other times we do not need to be specific. We have a relationship with God, not a legal contact.

Abraham made his home in the promised land even though he had not received it yet, and Isaac and Abraham did the same. Similarly, we are to live in the kingdom now. It will not be perfect, ie we will sometimes feel like we are living in tents rather than a house, but we are to dwell in it nevertheless, knowing that one day we will receive the kingdom in all its fulness.

Hebrews 11:7

Noah was told that there would be a flood he had no evidence to believe that it would happen, other than what God had said to him. This included an assessment of the human condition (the wickedness of all people), what God was going to do, and what Noah should do. Now Noah's faith was not "blind", for presumably he could see the behaviour of people and that God's assessment was correct. He then had to decide whether or not to trust the rest of what God said, and if he did believe God then he would build the ark, as indeed he did.

The gospel is similar in some ways. It tells of the sin of man, and the consequences of it, and if we look around (including ourselves) we can see that it is a good assessment. We need to then decide whether or  not to believe God. Like Noah we need to act on that faith.

Faith also condemns the world. How does this work? Well people will inevitably complain "how could I know?". The answer will simply be, "others believed the message, why didn't you?"

Hebrews 11:4-6

We now come to the first of the examples from the Old Testament. Abel offered a better gift than Cain, and did so by faith. Abel gave God the first fruits, this is sign of faith. When planning our own finances we should give to God first. This shows that we believe that all our provision comes from Him, and that He is the one who looks after us. Abel's giving is still an example to us.

Enoch did not die. It says he walked with God, and then God took him away. We too are to walk daily with God. Unless Christ returns in our lifetime we will die, but we will not face the second death, we will be raised on the last day to be with God forever.

Faith is the only way to please God. Faith leads to actions, and shows itself in actions. In Abel's case it was giving, in Enoch's case it was his daily walk. So we must beleive there is a God, and that He makes a difference. God wants us to expect Him to make a difference to our lives. It is an offence to God to say we believe in Him, but then not to expect Him to do anything. That is treating God like an idol (Psalm 115:4-8).

Hebrews 11:3

It is by faith that we know that the universe was created by God. Science cannot explain the origin of the universe. Moreover, what we see was created out of nothing. Our God is a God who creates things that previously did not exist. Again this sets limits on what science can do. It also has a more immediate practical impact on our lives. Often we look at situations and can see no way forward or no way out, but our God is a God who can create out of nothing. In the Old Testament it tells us that He makes streams flow in the desert. In Romans 4 Paul talks about the God who calls things that are not as though they were. Faith has to be the foundation of our lives. We need to base our lives on the love that God has for us, not on what we can work out or see. Ie we are to live by faith, nit by sight. This does not mean that we should not think, nor that we should not do science, far from it. But it does mean that we need to recognise the limitations of our thinking.

Hebrews 11:1,2

We now come to one of the greatest chapters in the Bible. This tells us, largely by example from the Old Testament, what it really means to live by faith.

Faith is knowing that we are going to receive what we have been promised. Now note the context, this is not saying if we believe for something we will receive it. It is saying that if God has promised us something, and we believe it then we will receive it. Moreover, the primary context here is faith for salvation. Faith for salvation is the foundational faith. From time to time God will put faith in our hearts for specific things in specific situations, but faith for salvation is the foundation. And in the examples quoted, the main thing is that the people were all looking for salvation, and believed in that above all else. Some "name it and claim it" type teaching can fall in to error here. Equally, teaching that God will never do anything specific is even more erroneous!

Faith is evidence. How is this so? It is because true faith is based on what God has said He will do. When God speaks, something will happen, there will be a material outworking of what He has said. So when we have faith it is evidence of what is going to happen.

God approves of people who have faith. Earlier I gave a warning about some "name it and claim it" teaching. However, God is more likely to approve of someone who is in some way "over enthusiastic" in believing (not the best way of putting this, but it will have to do), than someone who believes nothing.

Hebrews 10:32-39

There had been times when the people had endured much for the sake of the gospel, because of their belief. They suffered physically and financially. They suffered themselves, and they shared in other peoples sufferings. They were prepared to go through all this because they knew that God had promised them something greater. Yet now, the writer needs to warn them not to throw it all away.

Thankfully in this country we do not yet experience much in the way or persecution, though the climate is becoming increasingly anti-Christian. However, we do go through trials of various sorts from time to time. In the midst of the trials our faith can uphold us, but the danger can also come once the trial is over. For the people here were in danger of throwing it all away. After a trial we can become lazy and relax too much.

These verse, along with others in the Bible, are a warning against the false teaching that if we have enough faith we will enjoy ever increasing wealth. This is not true. It is true that God will take care of all our needs, including our financial ones, and there is nothing wrong at all with material possessions. Moreover, if God gives you the ability to make wealth, then you should make wealth. But material well being is not our goal, it must not become a foundation, and there are times when following Christ may involve financial loss, as it did for the people here. We are looking forward to a better kingdom.

Like Paul, the writer quotes from Habakkuk 2:3,4 as the way to live. Christ will come. In the midst of individual circumstances Christ will at some point bring relief and salvation, on a global level, there will come a day when He will return. So we should live our lives built on trust in God. We must not turn back, but must press on in faith.

This is reminiscent of Paul's words in Philippians. While it is unlikely that Paul wrote Hebrews, it does seem likely that the writer was aware of Paul's writings.

Hebrews 10:26-31

The good news is wonderful, but if we reject it the consequences are terrible. Some object that this is unfair, but this is nonsense. If you have a terrible disease and refuse to take the cure, then it is your own fault if you die. Even worse, if you take the cure, then stop taking it and turn back to your ways of sin.

As mentioned in an earlier post there are those who debate the "once saved always saved" issue, but this really is futile. The message here is that it matters how we live, it matters how respond to the gospel. Moreover, the Son of God is holy, His sacrifice and resurrection were holy. We cannot expect to reject such things without consequence.

The Holy Spirit is holy, and if He comes to dwell within us then we reject Him, how can we expect this to be without consequence?

The Lord is a God of judgement, and we need to remember this.

Hebrews 10:19-25

We are now in this great position of being able to enter the Most Holy Place. We can enter the very presence of God. It is the blood of Jesus that enables us to do this. We also have a great high priest, therefore we must take advantage of this and  draw near to God with full assurance of faith. The blood of Jesus cleanses our consciences. It is far more efficacious than any ceremonial or ritualistic washing could be. We have no need of any other ritual or aid, the blood of Jesus is all sufficient.

Therefore we must hold unswervingly to this faith. Moreover, we must seek to encourage one another. In fact the word used is similar to that used for stirring up a riot. Faith is personal, but it is also corporate. It is impossible to be a lone Christian, and we cannot make it on our own. We need each other to encourage and uphold one another. When we go through difficulties there can be a great temptation to isolate ourselves. We must resist this. One of the primary means that God uses to encourage us is through other Christians. We must avoid this at all costs.

Hebrews 10:5-18

The writer quotes from Psalm 40:6-8. The Old Testament stated that the sacrifices were not sufficient. The Jews had made the ritualistic side of the Old Testament too important, neglecting the heart of the matter. This is a trait to which all of us, and all churches, are susceptible. We will focus on some outward expression, forgetting the inner reality of which it is an expression.

Obedience was what God really required, and Jesus offered that obedience. Therefore His sacrifice was acceptable.

Jesus was holy, and by His blood we too are made holy. That means we are acceptable to God.

The sacrifices of the Old Testament were an exercise in futility. For they were offered day after day, achieving nothing. Jesus, on the other hand, was the perfect sacrifice. He offered Himself once, and then sat down at the right hand of God, His work complete.

Hebrews 10:1-4

Verse 1 states what the whole point of the writers argument has been about, namely that the Law was just a shadow of what was to come. It contained hints and types of the what would come, but it was only a shadow, it was not the real thing. As a result it could never make people perfect.

Now the corollary of this is that the purpose of the good news is to make people perfect. Of course we are not made perfect this side of eternity, but one day we will be. When Jesus returns, whether we are raised from the dead on that day, or whether we are alive and transformed, we will be made perfect. In the meantime we are transformed from one degree of glory to the next. Ie we experience the first fruits of this, we experience God working changes in our lives through the Holy Spirit.

The writer emphasises the point by drawing attention to the repeated offering of sacrifices under the Law. Moreover, he mentions the fact the the people still felt guilty. Again, the corollary of this is that we should expect perfect peace with God, knowing that our sins have been dealt with and that He no longer holds anything against us.

Hebrews 9:23-28

The sheep and goats may have been sufficient for the copy of the real thing, but heaven itself needed something far greater, something far better. Jesus came to achieve something that was a whole order of magnitude better. He was going to enter the very presence of the Father. Now as He was God, and came from God we may ask why there was such a fuss about this. Why the fuss over going back to where He came from?

The reason for the fuss is that He came to earth so He could enable us to enter the presence of God. He returned on our behalf. So there needed to be a sacrifice that was sufficient to cleanse us of our sins, of our guilt. Only the blood of Jesus could provide that.

As well as the quality of the sacrifice being different, Jesus only needed to offer Himself once. For His death and resurrection dealt with sin once and for all. We need to be reminded of this frequently, but only needed to happen once.

When He returns Jesus will bring salvation with Him. What does this mean? I thought we were saved already? Yes, but this will be the culmination of all things. At that time we will be transformed in an instant, and there will be no vestige of sin left in us. We will be like Him.

Hebrews 9:15-22

Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant. He is the one who makes everything possible. He has achieved this position because He offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice. So through Him those who are called can receive the eternal promises.

We were bound by our past sins, but He has paid a ransom to set us free. Nothing that we have done in the past is sufficient to stop us receiving an inheritance.

The writer now uses the analogy of a will, though the word for will is the same as that for covenant. Before a will comes into effect there has to be death. The writer says that this is one of the reasons why the Old Covenant required sacrifice. When Moses declared the commandments he sacrificed calves. He even declared in Exodus 24:8 that "this is the blood of the covenant". This is why Jesus words, "This is my blood of the covenant" (Mark 14:24), at the last supper are so significant and poignant. Jesus knew exactly what He was saying at that point, and the significance of it. He was declaring that His blood was inaugurating a new covenant.

This is just further evidence that the Old Covenant was a pointer to what was to come, a pointer to the real thing. This is also a guide to us in reading the Old Testament, which should be looking for pointers to Christ in all of the Old Testament.

Hebrews 9:11-14

Jesus, and all that He did, was not a symbol or a shadow, but the real thing. Sometimes people talk about Jesus' death, and other aspects of His life, as being symbolic. They even talk about the resurrection as not being real, but being metaphorical. All this is nonsense. Jesus death and resurrection were completely real, and achieved concrete things.

See also that the "good things are now already here". We can start to live in the new life, in eternal life, now. It will not be fully consummated until He returns, but it starts now. The Levitical priests entered a man made tabernacle, Jesus entered heaven itself. They entered by the blood of sheep and goats, Jesus entered by His own blood.

The blood of animals did make the priests outwardly clean, it did enable them to enter the man made sanctuary. The blood of Jesus makes us inwardly clean, and allows us to approach the living God.