My Daily Pause

A Quick Note

The goal for this blog on a typical day is to write a little about what occurs to me during my daily reading. For the rest of the year however, I am going to concentrate on preparing for my Bible class on Hebrews that I am going to be teaching for the winter quarter. I will continue to record what I am reading each day, but the blog posts will not necessarily be related.

There is already a link to The Lists of Hebrews above which will serve as the landing page. It contains links to the articles that will serve as the base material for each class. It will remain fluid for the quarter so feel free to check back often.

The Credentials of Christ

Hebrews doesn’t contain much of an introduction in the traditional sense. We don’t know who wrote it, we just see that the writer begins immediately discussing what I call the “credentials of Christ.” The blog post 7 Reasons Christ is King contains the source material to begin the discussion. If we accept that Christ is all the things contained in Hebrews 1:1-4, then we can probably more easily make changes in our lives that conform to the commandments in the Bible.

If the Jews that converted to Christianity needed to be reminded of the reasons that Christ was the Messiah back then, we probably need it even more so today. How is it that today we have alternative plans of salvation, modes of worship, and even thoughts about the origin of all creation?

Because we forget that Christ’s way is the best way!

Daily Bible reading for November 25

Psalm 116
2 Kings 23:31-24:17
Isaiah 17-18
John 16:16-33

An ongoing theme in Hebrews is that Christ was better. Christians enjoy a better agreement with God than the Jews had under the old law -all because Christ came and died for us.

Christ Was Better

• Christ is better than angels (Hebrews 1:4-14) – The Angels worship him (Hebrews 1:6), He is God (Hebrews 1:8)
  

  Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek — by Dieric Bouts the Elder, 1464–67

• Christ is greater than Moses (Hebrews 3:1-6) – Christ was everything Moses was (prophet, mediator, king) and more (prophet, mediator, king, high priest)
• Greater priest than the Levites (Hebrews 4:14-5:10) – He was both high priest and king. (Hebrews 5:5, Psalm 110) More Details ->
• A priest like Melchizedek (Hebrews 7) – Christ’s priesthood is permanent (Hebrews 7:24), No need for daily sacrifices (Hebrews 7:27)
• Sealed a superior covenant (Hebrews 7:22, Hebrews 8) – Sins are no longer remembered once forgiven, made the first old(Hebrews 8:10), Does not apply only to the Jews (Galatians 3:29)
• A better sacrifice (Hebrews 9:1 – 10:39) – Used his own blood as a sacrifice once and for all (Hebrews 9:11-13)

And Three Things We Need to do to be Better

In return he expects better service. (Hebrews 12-13)

• We treat Christianity like a race, running with endurance and setting aside anything that would slow us down or encumber us. (Hebrews 12:1)
• We are to accept the discipline of a loving father that cares enough for us to make sure we are going the right way. (Hebrews 12:7-11)
• We are to pick ourselves up and go on when we notice we are down (Hebrews 12:12-13)