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| Hebrews 10:1-10 Read Genesis 1 Memory Verses: Review Week Good Morning Brothers and Sisters, Memory verses to date: Ephesians 2:8-9; James 2:19; John 1:12; Romans 3:23; 5:8; 6:23; 8:1; 10:9-10, 13; 1 John 1:5-7; 5:11-12; Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 2:15 ;3:15-16; Galatians 5:25; Mark 8:35-36 Hebrews 10 A discussion is taking place concerning the validity of the sacrifices under the Law, and how much good they actually did. How is it that the Old Testament sacrifices that were in place for hundreds of years were actually worthless? Looking to Isaiah 1:10-20 we see a discussion about people who were doing all the right things religiously, yet the Lord did not hear or recognize the sacrifices due to the sin in the lives of the Jews. This section is focused on much the same thing. Hebrews 10:1-4 Here we have a discussion regarding the covering of sin. In the Old Testament, all the sacrifices could do was to cover the sin, and appease God by making sacrifices. It did not actually cleanse the sin. Imagine if you will, sin is like a grape juice stain in carpet. It makes a permanent stain, we can choose to cover it with a rug, or put a table over it, or even re-dye the carpet, but the stain remains and is covered. Old Testament sacrifices did much the same thing. They covered the sin, but could not cleanse the sin. The blood of bulls and goats could not possibly take away sin, because bulls and goats do not have a free will, they could not offer themselves up sinless to be sacrificed of a free will to cover the sins of the people. So the whole point of the law and of the sacrifices was to remind the Jews that they were sinners. The point of the mercy seat, and the sacrifices in the Holy of Holies was also to remind the Jews that they were sinners, and to cement it into their minds. 10:5-10 The writer does a study from Psalm 40:6-8 it is interesting to see the way that the New Testament writer expounds on the text. When reading through the text, I went back to the Old Testament and found that the quotation was not exact, as it was written in the Old Testament. I found this interesting, and went to the commentaries, rather than re-invent the wheel, here is a quotation: "It was God who provided the sacrifice and not man. The quotation is from Psalm 40:6–8 , and it is applied to Jesus Christ in His incarnation (“when He cometh into the world”). The quotation makes it clear that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant sacrifices. The word sacrifice refers to any of the animal sacrifices. Offering covers the meal offerings and the drink offerings. The burnt offering and sin offering are mentioned ( Heb. 10:5 , 8 ). The trespass offering would be covered in the word sacrifice ( Heb. 10:5 ). Each of these offerings typified the sacrifice of Christ and revealed some aspect of His work on the cross (see Lev. 1–7 ). The phrase, “a body hast Thou prepared Me” ( Heb. 10:5 ), is not found in the original quotation. Psalm 40:6 reads, “Mine ears hast Thou opened.” The writer of Hebrews was quoting from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. How do we explain this variation? Some connect “Mine ears hast Thou opened” with Exodus 21:1–6 , a passage that describes the actions of a master whose servant did not want to be set free. The master bored a hole through the ear lobe of the servant, which was a sign that the servant preferred to remain with his master. The idea is that our Lord was like a willing servant who had His ears bored. The problem with that explanation is that only one ear was bored, while the verse ( Ps. 40:6 ) speaks of both ears. Furthermore, the verb used in Exodus 21 means “to pierce,” while the verb in Psalm 40:6 means “to dig.” Our Lord was a servant, but it is not likely that the writer had this in mind. Probably “opened ears” signified a readiness to hear and obey the will of God (see Isa. 50:4–6 ). God gave His Son a prepared body that the Son might serve God and fulfill His will on earth. Our Lord often referred to this truth ( John 4:34 ; 5:30 ; 6:38 ; 17:4 ). Of course, the same Holy Spirit who inspired Psalm 40 has the right to amplify and interpret His Word in Hebrews 10 . “Opened ears” indicates a body ready for service. Twice in this paragraph, the writer stated that God “had no pleasure” in the Old Covenant sacrifices (see Heb. 10:6 , 8 ). This does not suggest that the old sacrifices were wrong, or that sincere worshipers received no benefit from obeying God’s Law. It only means that God had no delight in sacrifices as such, apart from the obedient hearts of the worshipers. No amount of sacrifices could substitute for obedience ( 1 Sam. 15:22 , Ps. 51:16–17 ; Isa. 1:11 , 19 ; Jer. 6:19–20 ; Hosea 6:6 ; Amos 5:20–21 ). Jesus came to do the Father’s will. This will is the New Covenant that has replaced the Old Covenant. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has taken away the first covenant and established the second. The readers of this epistle called Hebrews would get the message: why go back to a covenant that has been taken away? Why go back to sacrifices that are inferior?" Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary. "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt., Heb 10:1. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989. The summation in v. 10 covers the thought very well, as a result of Jesus stooping to servanthood, and having a body ready and willing for service, we have been sanctified through Him, "once for all". It is finished, we no longer have to worry about sacrifices, or covering our sins, they are completely cured and dealt with. They are washed as white as snow. Genesis 1 I always enjoy reading through this chapter, it makes me wonder how man can say that evolution exists and in the same breath say that they believe in Jesus and are Christians. I find it difficult to believe that we could take such a stand when the Holy Spirit led the writer to write such a specific detailed account about the creation of the world. Also, John in John 1, and various other epistles back up the fact that Jesus was the creator. Interesting. Lord, as we study Your word today, enable each one of us to apply it to our lives, and to praise You for the forgiveness that You made sure we had by becoming a servant for us. In Him. Joe Turner. |
| Joe, Thanks for the study in Hebrews 10:1-10. Animals are inadequate as sin-cleansing sacrifices because they are not human (apples to oranges) and because they are limited in intrinsic value. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice because He is a man and more than a man, the God-man whose life is of infinite worth. His sacrifice was also voluntary. Lifted up the requests. IHG, Erik |
| Hebrews 10:11-19 Read Genesis 2 As I read through the passage this morning, I realized that I goofed, I should have set the divider at verse 18 or 25, regardless, we will deal with it. We will focus on Jesus and His completed work as high priest. It sounds redundant as once again we will focus on Jesus sitting down, and the work that was accomplished. But we need that, we need redundancy, we need to be constantly reminded of where we are in Jesus, and what He did for us. This is a summation of what has already been taught in the previous few chapters regarding the work of Jesus on the cross and our forgiveness. Hebrews 10:11-12 In Chapter 9, we discussed at length that the blood of animals cannot take away sin, only covers it, yet according to the Levitical Law, the offerings had to be done over and over, the priest work was never done. Contrast this to Jesus who offered the final sacrifice, which was perfect and complete. Again referring to Chapter 9. He offered the one sacrifice "for all time", it was a final sacrifice, completed for the past, present and future. Then "He sat down at the right Hand of God." This is quoted out of Psalm 110:1, read forward in Psalm 110, look at the rest of the psalm, it is messianic in its entirety, it is a fantastic chapter. Also note that Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father, He finished the work. This is a unique situation for a priest or a high priest, who had to be offering sacrifices all day long, for himself as well as for the people. But Jesus finished His, completed the work. Ro. 8:34; Col 3:1 Hebrews 10:13 Jesus is waiting for the time that His enemies are made defeated completely. The idea is that the enemy is so defeated that you can prop your feet on their backs, in other words, they are utterly defeated. According to Strong's Lexicon, it is a metaphor "taken from the practice of conquerors who placed their feet on the necks of their conquered enemies". It is to have someone under complete and total control, which means they have lost all of their power. The devil is the one who is the enemy of God, this is his testing ground, he was defeated at the cross along with sin. Jesus is looking forward to Judgment day when the devil will receive his due. As I think about this, is the devil the only one who is an enemy of God? Not hardly, we having a sin nature have a natural propensity to sin, yet isn't everyone who is not following Jesus an enemy of Jesus? That means that all the good people who follow religious systems, and good living are enemies of Jesus. That means that anyone who looks to anything other than Jesus for strength is an enemy of God. Jesus addressed this several times in the New Testament, if you are not for Jesus, you are against Jesus Matt 12:30. It's cut and dry, no argument needed. Jesus was speaking to the religious of the day when He made this statement. 1 Cor 15:22-28 10:14 Looking to v. 12 we see that sin was forgiven for all time, now we see that we are sanctified and perfected for all time. This was done by one offering, one sacrifice. The translation seems to carry forth the idea that by one offering all the other offerings have been made complete, or in a completely finished state related to those who are in the process of being sanctified, or made holy. In order for us to understand this properly, perhaps we need to think like a Jew for a few minutes, they had to adhere to a strict set of rules to reach sanctification, and here all the effort and sacrifices that were required to reach this state were completed entirely, in one act. 10:15-16 The Holy Spirit is the one responsible for writing His laws upon our hearts and on our minds. Upon receiving Jesus as Savior, He enters our heart and teaches us. If we are willing to listen, He will teach us. John 15:26 10:17-18 Our sins are so completely wiped out, they are forgotten. The paperwork is lost, destroyed, never to be found again. The sins are forgiven, cancelled out, all of them, from our birth to our death, all of our sins are forgiven, therefore there is no need for another sacrifice. The "it is finished" that Jesus spoke from the cross was a accounting term which meant that the debt had been paid in full. As a result of this, there is no need for any other offering for sin. Psalm 103:12; Micah 7:19 10:19 Not only is Jesus our high priest, He has made it possible for us to enter the Holy of Holies by His blood. Before, only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and was risking his life to do so, but now we can walk boldly, with full assurance of safety as we enter by the blood of Jesus. We have a much better stand before the Father than the under the old law, because our sin is no longer covered, it is forgiven, completely and totally. I look forward to studying this further. Genesis 2 A few things stood out to me, first, God rested on the seventh day. We need to follow suit. I hope that one day the railroad sees the light. Also God created man incredibly smart to keep up with all the names of the animals. Third, God created woman out of mans side as an equal, not as a sub species. Praise God for women. Lord, as we all study and learn about what You did for us at the cross, and how that You have written Your laws in our hearts and minds, open our minds so that we can see, our ears so that we can hear, and learn to follow You completely. In Him, Joe Turner. |
| This is Sunday morning, so the study will be somewhat abreviated, but dig
in, follow the cross references, and enjoy the study of the Word.
There are three segments in todays study, first deals with our high priest,
Jesus Christ. The second section deals with holding fast to our confession
and fellowship. The third section deals with those who decide not
to draw near, or to fellowship. Hebrews 10:19-22 Jesus our high priest. We have studied in depth what it means to be able to enter the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus. We have a new law in effect, the old one has passed away, Gal 2:20. We can draw near, come close with a full assurance, knowing that we can enter the Holy of Holies because our hearts are pure and clean due to the blood of Jesus. Notice that even our conscience has been cleaned, and our spiritual bodies have been cleaned, washed with the pure water of the word. This is setting the scene for later in these verses when the writer talks about being pure in Christ and what that means. Heb 10:23-25 How important is fellowship to you? I spoke with Norm, a conductor that I was working with the other day, and he made a statement that sort of stunned me, I didn't know how to respond to it. He said that fellowship was way over-rated. It's sad, when Christian brothers have this attitude, I am not sure of Norm's spiritual state, other than that he was lukewarm at best. I did gather that he is attending a big church in one of the local cities, that has a good reptuation for leading young believers to the Lord. He also has a son who is trying his best to get his dad to walk with Jesus. What do you do when you see this? Here we have a prime example of what happens when we don't hold fast to the confession of hope that we do have. Also, another point from these verses is that we are not just to be on the receiveng end of the fellowship. In v. 24 we are told specifically to see if we can figure out a way to stimulate each other to "love and good deeds". I don't know what happened to Norm, I do know that we can only change ourselves. This morning in church, we was discussing the difference between going to church to worship, and going to church to attend, to fulfill a requirement. How often do we do this? When we fellowship with each other is it a sickening sweet time where we stroke each others ego's or are we actually talking with each other encouraging each other to grow in Jesus, to overcome, to demonstrate in our lives love and good deeds? How many people do we know well enough to encourage? Today in our society, we tend to stay to ourselves, coming out of our shells to attend church, or Bible studies, yet never actually getting to know each other well enough to find out about personal needs and personal struggles that we all have. It's almost like we live in a state of constant one-ups-manship. Brothers and Sisters, if we are not willing to get close to people, how can we have true fellowship? I wish I had a magic wand where I could right the wrongs, and correct the errors, but only the Holy Spirit has that ability. The day is drawing near, the world is growing colder spiritually. What are we going to do about encouraging? What are we going to do about stimulating others to grow deeper in Jesus? Hebrews 10:26-31 Scary verses, powerful message. Here we are told about willful sinning, in the Old Testament, there was not a provision for a willful sinner. If a person decided to sin willfully, meaning sinning, knowing that he was sinning, disregarding the knowlege that he had, then they were to be stoned to death. Deuteronomy 17:1-7; Exodus 21:12-14. Unintentional sins are covered by the old sacrifices, Numbers 16:27-31. Today it is almost as if we think that we have a license to sin, since our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus. Verses like these make me wonder how Jesus will deal with us. Will he spiritually spank us, or is there a greater judgement that we are not aware of? When we sin intentionally, we are definitely playing with fire. God did not hesitate to judge and punish His chosen people, what will happen to us? We all know the truth, we have studied the Word and know what we are to do as Christians, are we doing it? It is time to go forward, to put into action the truth that we have learned as we study God's Word. We will be studying James very soon, the thrust is that of good works, and of purity. James 1:22 "But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." What does this have to do with willful sinning? If we sin, and know the truth, in other words we sin, knowing that we are sinning aren't we asking for trouble? How do we expect to experience the power of God in our lives if we trample underfoot, or count Jesus sacrifice on the cross as if it doesn't matter? Speaking of intentional sin, 1 John 3:6-9 "No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The son of God appeared for this purpose to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." NASB Powerful verses, backs up the verses out of Hebrews. What are we to do? What is the answer? Genesis 3 A few short observations from here, first, the devil decieved man in 3:3, then in 3:15 the woman's seed would place his heel on the devil's neck, and finally man was made with a free will, the tree was a symbol of mans choice to follow the Lord in a perfect environment, or follow his own way. Unfortunately we chose to follow our own way. In the two verses mentioned above, we have seen these concepts mirrored by Hebrews in several places, isn't it great when we see continuity? Praise God that Jesus has placed his heel on the devils neck and conquered him. Lord, as we ask all of these hard questions today, show us the answers for our own lives, show us how that we can improve and move into closer fellowship with one another and with You. In Him, Joe Turner |
| Joe, Thanks for the applicational study of Hebrews 10:20-31. Remember the problem in Hebrews: the Jewish-Christians in and around Jerusalem about A.D. 68-69 are being persecuted for abandoning their Jewish roots and practices in a superheated patriotic time in Jerusalem. The Roman Empire is being resisted and Titus is on the way to quash rebellion with the destruction of the Temple and the city in A.D. 70. That is why the writer to the Hebrews has been laboring to show in several ways the superiority of the New Covenant over the Mosaic (Old) Covenant, Christ's priesthood over Levitical priesthood, and Christ's sacrifice over Levitical sacrifices, among other things. These Christians had been returning to such Hebrew practices to avoid the persecution. They had even come to the point that they were avoiding gathering with other Christians (10:25) and their profession of Christ had become non-existent (10:24). And they knew better (10:26a - sinning willfully)! They knew what is/was true (10:26b - receiving the knowledge of the truth). The problem was that they were depending upon Levitical sacrifice (sin offering - Lev. 4, guilt offering - Lev. 5, and, most importantly, the Day of Atonement sacrifice - Lev. 16 which offered a sacrifice once a year, year by year, for the covering of willful sin - Heb. 9:25; 10:1, 3, 11), and that system had been put to an end by the one complete sacrifice of Jesus (Heb. 10:10, 12, 14, 18). Therefore, "there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins" (Levitical sacrifices for them as Jews to make - 10:26c). As there was judgment under the Mosaic Law (10:28), there will also be judgment, severe discipline (10:27) for believers who trample under foot the sacrifice of Jesus (10:29) as they rush into the Temple with superceded and ineffective sacrifices. Yes, there will be judgment (10:30-31) for their insult to God's provision for forgiveness and new life in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. I believe the impending fiery judgment (10: 27) for those who remained attached to the Temple would be the bloody and fiery siege and destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. The writer to the Hebrews advises his readers to focus on the heavenly Jerusalem (12:22-24, esp. 22). He is warning them with God's warning (12:25). We must bring an acceptable religious service (12:28) in light of the impending fiery judgment (12:29). The writer to the Hebrews describes some of the proper service/behavior in Hebrews 13:1-11, and then warns the Hebrew believers to abandon the city. Jesus suffered outside the city (13:12), we ought to join Him out there, outside the city, bearing His reproach (13:13), because we aren't tied to the old Jerusalem and it's Mosaic attachment, but we are seeking the New Jerusalem (13:14). The application? Much as you have outlined it. I would add that we must not get tied up in the traditions of man (much of what we do in our churches is tradition) and instead seek to do the things which truly please God. God's plan is revolutionary. Not Levitical sacrifices, but new sacrifices of praise and thanks (13:15) and of doing good and sharing (13:16). Obedience to leaders of the church is right there too. So is prayer for others, especially those who minister. Enough! Hebrews 10:26-31 has to be interpreted in light of the historical and broader context. Keep up the good work! IHG, Erik |
| Hebrews 10:32-39 Read Genesis 4 Memory Verses: Hebrews 10:24-25, 38 Good Morning Brothers and Sisters, Memory verses to date: Ephesians 2:8-9; James 2:19; John 1:12; Romans 3:23; 5:8; 6:23; 8:1; 10:9-10, 13; 1 John 1:5-7; 5:11-12; Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 4:12; 10:24-25; 2 Timothy 2:15 ;3:15-16; Galatians 5:25; Mark 8:35-36 The Website is up, www.emailbiblestudy.com, check it out. I have the schedule listed on it, along with the prayer requests. Let me know if I should add anything else. It is definitely work in progress, but has improved 100 percent. I would encourage each one of you to continue with the scripture memory. I am enjoying the daily challenge of learning new verses and committing them to memory. Today's verses comes out of the chapter we are currently studying. I hope that they bless you as you meditate on them and commit them to memory. I would encourage you to memorize the first two verses, and if you want a challenge, add Heb 10:38, it is a wonderful verse to live our lives by. Hebrews 10:32-39 In today's section, we see the writer summing up what he has been talking about so far and putting it into the practical aspect for our lives. Faith is introduced, which will be covered in depth in the next chapter. It is important that we consider what we are to do with what we have learned. If we are simply playing church, what is the point? I think that to a certain degree this had started happening with the Hebrew church that is addressed. Hebrews 10:32-34 A quick note to start the study on v. 32: "The words “call to remembrance” are the translation of anamimesko which Alford says is stronger than the simple verb, and means “call over in your minds, one by one,” the present tense implying constant habit. The word “fight” is the translation of athlesis, which was used by the Greeks to speak of an athletic contest or combat. This word was used in the next generation, of martyrdom. It refers to a terrific struggle. “Afflictions” in the Greek text is pathema which speaks of suffering." Wuest, Kenneth S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament : For the English Reader, Heb 10:32. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997, c1984. The writer reminds the Hebrews about how that they were willing to suffer conflict, persecution, willing to endure intense discomfort regarding harassment, even to the point of loosing their property by seizure. The Greek word for "public spectacle" was "theatrizo" which meant "to bring up on stage", it is the Greek root for theater. Remember, this was the time when Christians were being fed to lions. This was an intense price to pay for being a Christian, yet they bore it willingly, and gratefully. They are reminded of the first love that they had for Jesus. As we reflect on this, do you remember when you first came to know the Lord? Being a Christian was fun, exciting, and you were willing to do anything for Jesus. Unfortunately, this love is soon lost, the idea of having others reject you and berate you for being a Christian may not have the appeal it had at first. Why does this happen? Perhaps we become lazy, perhaps we have been lowered to our feet to put into practice the milk that we have been learning, and don't want to exercise what we know. It is simple, the difference between the milk of the word and the meat of the word is not much. It is a difference of hearing the word and hearing the word then actively putting it into action. Hearing only shows us how to change our lives, hearing with action changes the world. Hebrews 10:35 Carrying forward the idea, how do we throw away our confidence? If I have confidence as a runner, it is because I have ran many miles to build up my strength, and know confidently how far and how I can perform on a run. The same is true of Christianity, we build up confidence by taking the word, putting it into action, actively and daily. Regarding confidence, I quote again from Wuest again, "The word means "freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech, free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance." Hebrews 10:36-39 Interesting. The thought of physical training is still carried forward, the Hebrews were not showing endurance. This was the problem. They were not doing the will of God, and they had forsaken the simple things which were required. There is a requirement of consistency, a requirement to put into action what we hear and what we learn from the scripture. Faith is what is our driving force, it is our motivation. With faith we can take what we know in our heads and put it into action. Faith is like the adrenalin rush that a runner gets after the first couple of miles. Some call it a second wind. The body will produce adrenalin in order to fuel the body for the run. The same is true in the Christian life, if we are diligent at first to learn the basics, and keep on our run, going after it day after day, then our faith will develop, and it will kick in to carry us through the tough times. We don't need much faith in the first part of the race, that is easy, it is when we get a few miles on us that our faith is needed most. In the next chapter we will cover faith in depth. I also find it interesting that God takes no pleasure in us if we shrink back. If we know what we are to do and do not do it. In 1 John this is called sin. God hates it, He gave us His Spirit to live in our lives and guide us, yet often we will refuse to go to the limit because it is too difficult for us, or beyond our comfort zone. If we are not comfortable stepping out, putting ourselves out, then we simply won't do it, it says here that God hates that. Regarding v. 39, check out this note: "The believer who lives by faith will “go on to perfection” ( Heb. 6:1 ). But the believer who lives by sight will “draw back unto perdition” ( Heb. 10:39 ). What is “perdition” in this context? The Greek word translated “perdition” is used about twenty times in the New Testament and is translated by different words: “perish” ( Acts 8:20 ), “die” ( Acts 25:16 ), “destruction” ( Rom. 9:22 ), and “waste” ( Matt. 26:8 ). The word can mean eternal judgment, but it need not in every instance. I personally believe that “waste” is the best translation for this word in Hebrews 10:39 . A believer who does not walk by faith goes back into the old ways and wastes his life. “The saving of the soul” is the opposite of “waste.” To walk by faith means to obey God’s Word and live for Jesus Christ. We lose our lives for His sake—but we save them! (see Matt. 16:25–27 ) In my own pastoral ministry, I have met people who turned their backs on God’s will and (like Israel) spent years “wandering in the wilderness” of waste. But we can be confident! As we walk by faith, our Great High Priest will guide us and perfect us!" Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary. "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt., Heb 10:19. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989. Genesis 4: Tells the story regarding Cain and Able. As I read through this, I could not help but think about how people act toward each other. Also, look at the way that the Lord looks upon blood sacrifices. The grain offering was just as good of quality, yet the blood rules out in the end. Lord, as each one of us reads through these verses, renew in us the first love, the willingness to go to the limit for You on a daily basis. In Him, Joe Turner. |
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