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 ‘The assurance of the believer is not that God will save him even if he stops believing, but that God will keep him believing – God will sustain you in faith, he will make your hope firm and stable to the end. He will cause you to persevere.’ – John Piper

I’m sure there have been times that you have felt the same way that I have; that God could never forgive you for that sin. This time, you’ve gone too far! you think. But is that really true? To believe that there is a sin greater than the covering of Christ’s blood, is to fail to understand the hope of Christ as our substitute and advocate. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus can save you, and he does. 

There is a warning here, however, on falling away. It is not an easy passage to read and may cause confusion and fear, though we must remember to interpret scripture with scripture. For example, have a read these scriptures that explain the simple step to salvation in Jesus.

‘Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.’ John 3:36

‘All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’ Acts 10:43

‘If you declare with your mouth that “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved.’ Romans 10:9

There are many more. The warning is serious and true: those who reject Christ will not be saved. Those who professed belief in Christ but fell away show that their initial profession was not genuine. They have not lost their salvation, as you cannot lose what you never truly had. They never truly believed. What is the remedy? How do I know that I am truly saved? The answer is to do what those who fell away did not do and will not do: keep turning to Christ. Keep running to him! Every time you fail, look to Jesus. Every time you stumble and fall, cry out to Jesus! 

Did you notice how this section ends? ‘We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf’ (vs.19).

Like an anchor that holds a ship safely, we have our hope in Christ. Sure the ship will be buffeted by waves and be at threat of sinking, but it won’t with Jesus as its anchor! He guarantees our salvation. He assures us of our safety. He kept his promise to Abraham and he will keep his promise to you. 

Reflect

1. In making a promise to Abraham, God swore by himself. How did this encourage and equip Abraham to wait patiently for the promise? How should it encourage and equip us to wait for the fulfilment of God’s promises to us?
2. God does not lie (vs 18). How does God’s unchangeableness encourage you to flee to him in times of trouble or temptation?
3. Think about your Christian experience thus far. What are some ways the truth of God’s Word has anchored your soul and encouraged you to hold on to the hope set before you?

Pray

Father God, thank you that I can have assurance of my salvation through your Son. Help me to grow in my faith and knowledge of you, so that I may be a mature follower and witness of Jesus in the world. Amen.

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I am no builder. In fact, I possess very little know-how in the handyman department. However, even I know that when you pour cement for a foundation, you must do it in one throw (yes, throw!)! If you try pouring new cement on an already laid foundation, it will crack and break. The point being that the construction of a foundation is extremely important. Do it wrong, and you could set yourself up for disaster!

Following on from yesterday we see in today’s passage six foundational doctrines to be believed. These six doctrines are represented in 3 couplets that form the elementary, spiritual foundations on which the Christian is to mature: Change, Obedience and Hope.

1. Repentance is that change of our sinful nature that results in our turning away from sin.
2. Faith in God is the change in our desire to turn to God.
3. Instruction about baptisms is that most basic of commands that require simple obedience to Jesus.
4. Laying on of hands is the ministry life of obedient believers, from ordination (going into ministry) to healing and blessing others with our lives.
5. The resurrection of the dead is that hope of eternal life believers have because of Christ’s own resurrection.
6. The eternal judgement is the hope we have that Jesus will stand as our advocate and substitute in the coming judgement.

Finally, today let us see that spiritual maturity must happen through our utter and total dependence on God. He opens minds and hearts. He brings understanding, knowledge and wisdom. As we seek to grow as believers, let us do so not in our strength, knowledge or wisdom, but by total dependence on God.

Reflect

1. What core foundations have been laid down in your life? Who was responsible for imparting them to you?
2. Are there any elementary truths you struggle to believe? Who can you talk to better understand these core doctrines of the Christian faith?

Pray

Father God, thank you for giving us your Word, to guide and teach us and point us resurrection life in Jesus. By your Spirit cause us to change, give us the desire to be obedient in all areas of our lives and let us rest in the hope we have in Jesus! Amen.

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‘Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.’ – A.W. Tozer

When did you become an adult? When you got your driving license? Or maybe when you left home? Did someone sit down with you and say that you are now an adult? Did emotional maturity have anything to do with it, or was it purely age-based? This might sound sad, but for me it was to be able to sit with the adults at family gatherings, and no longer being side-lined to the kiddie-table! Maturity is the natural order of events for all of us. However, spiritual maturity doesn’t seem so natural! 

If you could rate your spiritual maturity from 0 to 10 (0 meaning you have yet to give your life to Jesus, 1 being a baby and 10 being a super Christian), where would you place yourself? 

In verse 12, we are told that there are elementary truths to be held and believed in, in order to be considered mature. These are simply (and I use that word purposefully) the core doctrines that we believe about Jesus and the Christian life. You can look ahead to tomorrows passage (6:1-2) for the 6 fundamentals that the writer to the Hebrews wants his readers to reaffirm and take hold of. More than just knowing and believing the fundamentals of the Christian faith, they should have been teaching these things! However, they had not progressed in their Christian life at all. Still drinking milk, never learning to chew on the wisdom and instruction of the Word of God. This resulted in their poor judgement, unable to distinguish between good and evil. 

Dear reader, don’t misunderstand me. Being an infant is not a bad thing! For all Christians must first be babies in the faith as they move from death to new life in Christ. The point, however, is to not stay a baby! As we naturally progress physically, we are to mature and grow spiritually. If you’ve been a Christian for a while, and yet are not actively involved in a life of ministry, helping to feed and grow newer believers, unable to discern God’s will and unwilling to distinguish a life that pleases God from a life that doesn’t – then you are still drinking milk, and you need to stop it. You must mature! Perhaps you think I’m being overly harsh, but today this is required as we match the tone of the author of this passage. Our Christian lives are serious. Rate yourself again, be honest and resolve to mature!

Reflect

1. Has there ever been a time where you felt closer to God than perhaps you do now? What do you think is stopping you from a mature faith?
2. Can you make one small step towards spiritual maturity today? Write it down and commit to doing it.
3. In what way could you step up and serve the church in this time? Heres one way that comes to my mind: as restrictions slowly ease, and people begin to meet up again, some small groups will continue to be restricted by size. Perhaps you could step out and help the grew as a second leader? Thats just one way, there are others, I’m sure!

Pray

Father God, thank you than when you save us, you don’t leave us where we are, but give us a goal and purpose to work towards. Help us to make every effort to grow in our relationship with you, so that we too can point others towards your forgiveness in Jesus. Amen.

The post Day 9 Hebrews 5:11-14 appeared first on St Aidan's Wagga.

Some people have really confident personalities. I often admire their capacity to be completely unashamed, from whether it is asking for discounts in a store to asking someone out, no matter how many times they get rejected! Then there’s the kind of confidence it takes to meet her Majesty, the Queen of England. You would need to remember all the rules of being in her presence, such as never talking to her in the first unless she first speaks to you! “Your Majesty!”

How confident are you to approach God? If the Queen requires laws governing your conduct around her, how much more in your approach to God? In today’s passage, however, we are given reason to have great confidence to approach the ‘throne of grace’, where we will find mercy, grace and help!

The reason for our confidence is found in none other than Jesus, our great high priest. Although high priests were common throughout the Bible, there is only one who is great and only one who is the Son of God. His life, death and resurrection are the grounding of our faith. In days of old the high priest would enter the tabernacle into the presence of God on behalf of the people of Israel. But Jesus the great high priest would enter the heavenly tabernacle into the full presence of God on our behalf. Although tempted by the devil, this perfect priest knew no sin. That’s incredible, we have the great high priest, the Son of God speaking for us. And remember this great truth about Jesus; not only is He the Son of God, but also he came as a man! So do not feel distant from Him. He understands our weakness, he knows our faults. That is why we are to have confidence, not in ourselves, but in Him, the one who did not fail God. In Jesus we find one who walks ahead of us, showing us mercy and grace and help in our times of need. He lived perfectly in every way that we ought, and He leads us to everlasting life. 

Reflect

1. Why is sin a big deal, according to today’s reading?
2. Why can you go to Jesus with full confidence that he can deal with your sin problem?
3. Have you ever been tempted to find salvation, rest or peace in other things, institutions or people? How is Jesus greater than these things?
4. Although we are not perfect, how can we be priests to those around us?
5. Have a look at Jesus’ prayer life from verse 7. What can you learn from Jesus example and how can you implement it today?

Pray

Father God, thank you that we can approach your holy throne with full confidence, that instead of seeing our sin, you see the sacrifice made by your Son Jesus, the ultimate, perfect, high priest. Help me to fight my sin more and more each day, trusting in the saving blood of Jesus. Amen.

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‘In creation, God did all the work and rested. In redemption, God did all the work so we could rest.’ – Tim Keller

Today’s passage speaks of four rests. The first rest continues from yesterday’s reading. It was the Promised Land that the Israelites did not enter as they were persistently disobedient to God for 40 years. They did not enter that rest because they did not believe God. The second rest is taken from Psalm 95, and is found in both yesterday and today’s reading. It was written about the Exodus to the Israelites of that time to warn them of the consequence of unbelief and disobedience. The writer to the Hebrews uses this Psalm for the same purpose of warning his readers, and us, of failing to trust in God’s promise of rest. The third rest is that of God’s rest after the creation of His world. Since God rested, His rest is already a reality. This sets us up for the fourth and final rest, the one that is available for us today. Verse 3 and 4 tells us that all who believe in the promise of God’s rest through Jesus, will enter that rest! Because God’s rest is already a reality, the rest he calls us to enter is not our rest, but His rest. That rest begins now as we trust in the salvation promise through His Son, and it is a future promise that all who continue to believe will enter it at the new creation.

Reflect

1. What is necessary to enter God’s rest? 
2. How does resting God help us through the everyday challenges of life?
3. How can rest be found through God’s Word? What is the warning found in verses 12-13?
4. How can you rest in God today?

Pray

Father God, thank you that you provide a model of rest for our daily lives. Thank you that in Christ we can find rest from our sin, and after death we can rest in your holy presence. Thank you that rest doesn’t mean the end, but a future life of glory with you. Amen.

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In 2013, after years of denying the truth, Lance Armstrong admitted to doping, allowing him to be the world’s greatest cyclist for almost two decades! Lance was considered a hero of sport. His story of fighting cancer and coming back for 7 consecutive Tour de France wins inspired many! The problem with making a hero out of anyone, is that at some point, they will likely let you down. Sometimes in little ways, other times in big spectacular ways! The reason is simple: we are all sinful.

In today’s passage, we see how God’s people are described as sinning and rebelling against Him. They were not like Moses (a hero of faith), and they were certainly not like Jesus. In fact, there is an important point here whenever you read about the great heroes of the Bible: You are not one of them! Like David and Goliath – you are not David. David points us to Jesus. Rather, you and I are like the cowering Israelites at the back hoping that this crazy idea of sending a shepherd boy out to fight a giant is going to work! Today, perhaps we are like the rebellious Israelites, trying and testing God with hard and stubborn hearts! It’s easy to read such a passage and think about how silly and foolish those Israelites are. It can be easy to look at the sin of others but forget to look at honestly at ourselves. Sin is deceitful. The truth is, we regularly rebel against God.

But aren’t you thankful for Jesus, the real hero in the story of the Bible? He is the hero that will never let us down, because he was perfectly faithful and obedient to His father. He is the hero we are to look to, to open our hearts to and trust and believe in. Because Jesus is faithful and obedient, we can be faithful and obedient through our faith in him.

The disobedient Israelites were not able to enter the promised rest because of their disobedience. That is the same fate for any who rebel against and reject Jesus. But we share in Christ. We are partakers of His obedience, partakers of His suffering, partakers of His death, partakers of His resurrection, partakers of His victory, partakers of His plan, partakers of His power, partakers of His ministry of intercession, partakers of His work, partakers of His glory.

Reflect

1. Even the heroes of faith at times showed a lack of faith and trust in God. What can we learn from their mistakes?
2. How is Jesus greater than your heroes, and how will you fix your eyes on Him instead?

Pray

Father God, thank you that Jesus is a greater hero than any person on earth. Because he is perfect, we can place our hope and trust in Him to save us. Help us to fix our eyes on Him each day and to fight our sin by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

The post Day 6 Hebrews 3:7-19 appeared first on St Aidan's Wagga.

I am loving Lego Masters on the telly at the moment. Contestants compete in various challenges to design and build incredible structures out of every kids favourite building block. These folks are good! 

In today’s passage, we see that it is Jesus who is our apostle, high priest and our great builder! 

Jesus is an apostle in the sense that He is the Father’s servant, one who is sent by God to be our Saviour. 

Jesus is the high priest (a concept that will be explored in greater detail later in chapter 4) in that He is our supreme ambassador as one who stands before us and God. When the Father looks at us, he sees His Son! And in order for us to look to the Father, we are to look to Jesus.  

We also see that Jesus is the faithful master-builder of God’s house! Instead of Lego, his building blocks are God’s people, and He is building us together into God’s house. This house is the temple, no longer made of stone but of flesh.

In this regard, Jesus is compared to Moses, that great servant who was faithful in God’s house as both a servant and priest, not a builder of the house, but one who was part of God’s house, and led God’s people out from under the slavery of Egypt to the promised land. Jesus is greater than Moses, as the Son of over His house, perfectly faithful to His Father and through His death frees us from the bondage of sin and through his resurrection promises us eternal rest and life with God (see 4:3).

Reflect

1. The author of Hebrews highlights faithfulness in the lives of Jesus and Moses. What should Christian faithfulness look like for you, especially in our current context?
2. We’re told to consider Jesus and his work. How does this aid and fuel our faithfulness?
3. What does holding on to our confidence and boasting in our hope look like from day to day? How does the author use the conditional “if” to encourage us and solidify our hope in Christ and in his work for our salvation?

Pray

Father God, thank you that Jesus is the great builder, and that He is building me into a better person. Help me to be a greater servant than I am now, to love and to serve others for your house. Amen.

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What makes something perfect? Is it in in the flawlessness of the object, or in the usefulness of the object? Is a cup perfect because it is made of china and painted well, or because it holds liquid without dripping?

In today’s passage, we read that “for a little while” Jesus “was made lower than the angels.” This seems contradictory to what we’ve read about Jesus already. However, we see that Jesus is perfect in two ways. 

Firstly, as the perfect man, the Son of God born into human flesh. Not inferior to the angels but born into the realm of flesh. The second way in which we see the perfection of Jesus is in His suffering (2:10). In order for our sin-debt to be paid, nothing less than a perfect human, one who knew no sin, could die in our place. Jesus is made perfect through His completed work of dying on the cross. He is fully qualified as the one to redeem God’s people by the covering of His blood (10:10; 1 Peter 1:2). This is what the Old Testament priests did. Instead of their blood, however, it was the blood of an animal. However, Jesus, would take on the role of priest (2:17) and the role of blood sacrifice. Only by doing this, could we be saved. 

This salvation has two results: a new identity for believers, and the defeat of God’s enemy. See what Jesus calls those he saves: Holy (11), family and brothers (11-12) and God’s children (13). This new identity is shared with God’s Son who himself was made into human flesh (14, cf. Phil. 2:7). He shares our humanity, even to the point of our death! But by taking on death as the perfect Saviour, he defeats the great enemy who “holds the power of death” (14). Satan is the master of death in so much as he is the one who seduces us to rebel against God and to come under sin’s penalty, which is death. 

The Son of God born into human likeness, through his suffering salvation defeats Satan and death and makes us like him. We are made free then to fight sin and temptation, and to place all our hope and faith in our Saviour Jesus, who is able to help us!

Reflect

1. In Hebrews 2:10 we read that Jesus is made perfect through his suffering. What suffering did Jesus endure?
2. In what ways does Jesus’ suffering help us (2:18) and how does this help us to fight sin in our lives?

Pray

Father God, thank you that Jesus died a human death as a perfect sacrifice in my place, so that I may be free from the slavery of sin, and be adopted into the family of God. Help me to fight sin as a loving response to you. Amen.

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