Category: Scripture

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge cloud of witnesses to tell the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of al the hostility He endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as His children? He said,

‘My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when He corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child.’ (Hebrews 12: vv. 1-6, NLT)

“So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are lame and weak will not fall but become strong.” (Hebrews 12: vv. 12-13, NLT)

“First, Christ said,’You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burn offerings o other offerings for sin, now were You pleased with them’ (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then He said, ‘Look, I have come to do Your will.’ He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the the body of Christ, once for all time.

Under the old covenant , the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering up the same sacrifices again and again, when can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. There He waits until His enemies are humbled and made a footstool under His feet. For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For He says,’This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their hearts, and I will write then on the minds.’

Then He says,’I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.’

And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.” (Hebrews 10:vv 8-18, NLT)

“Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There He ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands. ” (Hebrews 8: vv. 1-2, NLT)

“But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for He is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. (Hebrews 8:vv. 6-7, NLT)

“When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means He has made the first one obsolete. It is out of date and will soon disappear.” (Hebrews 8:13, NLT)

From Hebrews, Chapter 7 (NLT)

“But Melchizedek who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed. ” (vv. 6-7)

“For although Levi wasn’t born yet, the seed from which he cam was in Abraham’s body when Melchizedek collected the high from him.

So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest I the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron? ” (v. 11)

“What I mean is, our Lord came from the trip of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe.

This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirements of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life cannot be destroyed.”(vv. 14-16)

“…but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him,
‘The Lord has taken an other and will not break His vow: Your are a priest forever.’ (Psalm 110:4)

Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God.

There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. But because Jesus lives forever, His priesthood lasts forever. Therefore, He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” (vv. 21-26)

“For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other believers, as you still do. Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are gong to inherit God’s promises because or their faith and endurance.” (Hebrews 6: vv. 10-12, NLT)

“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
(Hebrews 4: vv. 14-16, NLT)

“And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus who from the living God. you must warn each other every day , whom we declare to be God’s messenger and Hight Priest. For He was faithful to God, who appointed Him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house.

But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything was God.

Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ. (Hebrews 3: vv. 1-6, NLT)

“Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still ‘today’, so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. Remember what it says:

‘Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.’ (from Psalms 95: 7-8)”

(Hebrews 3: vv. 12-15, NLT)

“Long ago God spoke many times in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, He has spoken to us through His Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son He created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command. When He had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honor at the right side of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave Him is greater than their names.” (Hebrews 1: vv. 1-4, NLT))

“Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentlly show true humility to everyone.

Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to0 many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.

But- ‘When God, our Savior revealed His kindness and love, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of His grace He declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.'” (Titus 3: vv. 1-7, NLT)

“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” (Titus 2: vv. 11-14, NLT)