OUR FATHER WHO TEACHES US THE WAY WE SHOULD GO Part 6.

The book of Hebrews chapter 13 verse 18 says this;

Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.

The author of Hebrews, reaching the end of his letter, asks those to whom he is writing, to pray for him and his ministry team.

He tells them that he and his team are sure that their consciences are clear and they want to live honorably in every way.

The prayer request is for help in maintaining sincerity and a clean conscience and also the wisdom to be honorable in all the areas of their lives.

To sustain our lives in this way , supporting prayers of the saints  are needed so that the servants of the Lord are not tripped up.

Amen.

1

OUR FATHER WHO TEACHES US THE WAY WE SHOULD GO Part 5.

Hebrews chapter 13 verses 15 - 17 continues this way;

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

Keeping in mind that the Lord Jesus, by shedding His blood and suffering so greatly, qualified us for the eternal city, we are encouraged to continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise which the writer describes as the natural outflow of lips that publically identify with Jesus.

As for our conduct in our communities, we are reminded to do good and share what we have with other people because such sacrifices please God who Himself laid out so great a sacrifice for us.

As well, we are counseled to submit to the authority of the leaders the Lord places over us. They, by virtue of their callings, are accountable to the Lord for those they have been given charge over. Being in submission to them makes their responsibility over us a joy and not a tiresome burden. 

The writer, understatedly, makes it clear that being a burden to those who will held to account for us, would be of no advantage or benefit to us.

Amen.

5

OUR FATHER WHO TEACHES US THE WAY WE SHOULD GO Part 4.

Hebrews chapter 13 verses 11 - 14 continues with these words;

The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 

And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.

 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

This passage mentions the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle where the blood of animals was taken for a sin offering as defined in the old covenant but the writer brings our attention to the fact that the bodies of the animals from where the blood came, were taken outside the camp gate where they were burned.

He then draws the comparison between the bodies of the animals being burned outside the camp and the way that the Lord Jesus suffered on the cross outside the city of Jerusalem. This suffering in His body was the means provided by which people who trust in Him are made holy through His blood.

We are then exhorted to leave the city and be with Jesus outside the gate to share in His suffering and the disgrace which He bore. 

Whatever disgrace we bear in the city here, we must keep in mind that it is not an enduring city and our eyes are on the eternal city to which we go.

Amen.

5

OUR FATHER WHO TEACHES US THE WAY WE SHOULD GO Part 3.

Proceeding with Hebrews chapter 13, we take up verses 8 - 10 which read this way;

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so. 

We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.

The author of Hebrews teaches us that the eternal Lord Jesus is forever the same. That the power that He had in the past is the same power that He has now and the same power that He will have for all eternity.

The Lord is therefore able to save, protect and sustain all those who are His through all time and in every place.

We are then advised not to get caught up in weird doctrines and theologies.

An example is given where the correct teaching was supposed to be that our hearts were strengthened by grace but it was going around that hearts could be strengthened by eating ceremonial foods from the altar in the earthly tabernacle which the writer says offer no advantage or benefit to those who ate these foods.

We are then shown a mystery where we, believers in Jesus, have a spiritual altar to which we have access and to which even those with the privilege of eating at the earthly altar have no right.

The case that the writer is making here is that those who have access to the high altar are strengthened and have no need of anything from the earthly altar and so teachings that lead us to seek such foods are strange and unprofitable.

Amen. 

3

OUR FATHER WHO TEACHES US THE WAY WE SHOULD GO Part 2.

Continuing with Hebrews chapter 13 verses 5 - 7, we read this;

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 

The writer of Hebrews instructs us to expell the love of money from our lives.

He gives scriptural support for this position. 

First, he lays out Deutronomy chapter 31 verse 6 which says “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

This reference reminds us not to build security in our lives based on the accumulation of money because God's faithfulness is our security guaranteed by His promise to never abandon us.

Second, Psalm 18 verse 6 says, "The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"

This verse speaks to the advantage of having God in our corner. Loving money for the protection and stability that it offers us is pointless when the Lord is with us. Money can acquire security systems and influence but even those can be thwarted by mortals. However, who can thwart the God of heaven and earth.

We are also encouraged to consider the lives of the leaders who brought the gospel to us and see how their way of life brought them outcomes of honor and   praiseworthiness because of their faith in God rather than in money.

If the Lord preserved them while they had little or nothing, He is eternally capable and He can certainly preserve us now.

Amen.

6

OUR FATHER WHO TEACHES US THE WAY WE SHOULD GO

The book of Hebrews chapter 13 verses 1 - 4 says this;

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 

Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 

As the author of Hebrews begins his concluding chapter, he touches on a few items to exort his audience.

He instructs  us to continue loving one another as brothers and sisters such that  we treat each other as members of our own family.

He reminds us to always welcome and show hospitality to all strangers and he gives some added incentive to do so by mentioning that of  the strangers we are gracious towards, some may prove to be angels as others have experienced.

We are encouraged to remember those in prison and those being mistreated by identifying with their imprisonment and their suffering as though we ourselves were undergoing the same conditions.

The institution of marriage is brought up as one to honor and we are to refrain from polluting it for the judgement of God shall be on those whose conduct is contrary to the purity of marriage.

Amen.

8

OUR FATHER WHO DISCIPLINES US part 2

Continuing with the book of Hebrews chapter 12, verses 6 - 7 say this;

because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?

This passage in Hebrews starts with a reference to the book of Proverbs chapter 3 verse 12 which says;

because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in (NIV).

This proverb reveals that the Lord takes deliberate steps to discipline those He delights in as a means of training his children in the way they should go.

The passage also reveals that there is no one whom the Lord has accepted as a son who is exempt from the Lord's chastening.

The writer of Hebrews advises us to endure any hardship as the discipline of the Lord and to remember that it is evidence to us that the Lord has enfolded us into His family as children who are under the guidance of their Father.

 Amen.

9

OUR FATHER WHO DISCIPLINES US

The  book of Hebrews chapter 12 verses 13 - 14 says this;

 “and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

The context here is that the author of Hebrews is instructing believers to understand hardship in their lives as discipline from the Lord. It is explained that any earthy father disciplines his son and so likewise, the Lord disciplines any son He accepts and loves.

With this in mind, believers are exorted to make level paths for their feet so that the lame may not be disabled but rather healed.

This means that under the discipline of God, the believers will have their weaknesses strengthened and  their injuries healed and straighted so that they will be able to walk in the path they should go.

As Psalm 32 verse 8 says;

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

As well, believers are encouraged to live in peace with everyone even while under the discipline of the Lord and we are to grow in holiness because holiness is the currency by which men can see God and if we never grow into holiness, we will never see the Lord.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHO GIVES US RIGHTS IN HIS KINGDOM BUT PERMITS US TO FORFEIT THOSE RIGHTS FOR ADDED PARTICIPATION IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 11 says this;

If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 

The apostle Paul, writing to the people at Corinth among whom he had laboured to plant spiritual seeds, asks them if in all the ways he had served them, it was too much to expect some material support from them.

Paul asserts (with strong reasons) that he did in fact have the right to expect material support from those he ministered to as he says in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 12;

If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

In this verse, Paul continues by inverting his case and telling the Corinthians that even though he could have rightly obligated them to financially support him, he declined to do so so that his own requirements would not be  the reason why the gospel's spread was hindered.

Paul put up with the difficulties of having a full-time job while meeting the demands of a full-time ministry in order to support himself and thus have no burden to place on the people of Corinth.

Amen.

13

OUR FATHER WHO IS PLEASED BY FAITH

Hebrews chapter 11 verses 3 - 4 says this;

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. 

This passage expounds on the nature of faith by recalling the events of the creation of the universe that was initiated by God's command and the seen world materialized out of what was not visible.

This is the baseline for what the writer of Hebrews spoke of;

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Here, we are shown that faith is parallel to the act of bringing what is seen out of what is not seen.

If we recall that  "without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." as recorded in Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6, we then understand that Abel, in diligently seeking God, brought a better offering than his brother Cain did and it pleased the Lord because Abel believed that God existed and that His efforts were not futile but would be rewarded even though there was no visible manifestation of the one to whom he brought the offering.

When Abel's faith caused his sacrifice to be accepted by God, his brother Cain, who did not believe in the invisible God, rose up and killed Abel. When Cain was questioned later about Abel, he claimed that he did not know which clarifies that he did not believe in the invisible God because if he did, he would have known that his actions against Abel would not have gone unseen.

Abel's faith, an eternal substance, substantiated him out of the invisible realm so that he could speak even when dead.

Amen.

5

 OUR FATHER WHO MADE THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH

Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 says this;

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

This verse unequivically  attributes to God the creation of the heavens and the earth.

Not only does does this reveal the Lord's power and skill  as creator of the heavens and the earth, it also establishes that the Lord owns the earth and everything in it.

Amen.

1

OUR FATHER WHO CREATED THE EARTH AND EVERYTHING IN IT

Isaiah chapter 45 verse 9 says this;

“Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker,    those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground.

Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say,  ‘The potter has no hands’?

This verse pinpoints a particular kind of people who presume to question the creator in His creative studio about what He has made. 

To illustrate the absurdity of the scenario, the Lord uses a metaphor of a potter in his potter's studio having to listen to broken pieces of pottery that litter the studio floor yelling up to him to second-guess his endeavors and to accuse the potter of having no hands.

Whereas potters never have to endure criticism from broken pieces of their own work, the Lord God, who made all things that are, has people  whom He has made, quarrelling with Him, and voicing their disrespect for Him and even doubting His role in their existences.

To those, the Lord, in Isaiah chapter 45 verse 12, declares His Bona Fides.

It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens;  I marshaled their starry hosts.

The vastness of space and the intricacy of the earth and all its inhabitants are His work. The workmanship involved is beyond any human being's comprehension or even conception and certainly beyond any human being's stature to critique.

Amen.

5

OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDES FOR OUR RIGHTS BUT GIVES US THE OPTION TO VOLUNTARILY FORFEIGHT THEM FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF HIS KINGDOM

1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 11 says this;

If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 

This verse speaks of the work that Paul and his co-minister, Barnabus did among the Corinthinans.

They sowed spiritual seeds of preaching, teaching and being examples of godliness among the Corinthians and yet they encountered criticism because their conduct was not like the conduct of the other apostles.

Using scriptural references from the law of Moses, Paul pressed on the Coronthians that he and Barnabas did in fact have the right to make a living from their spiritual work like the other apostles did but he and Barnabas had voluntarily forfeited that right in order to avoid being incumberances on the people they served so that the gospel of Christ could be propagated unhindered.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 17, Paul explains the rationale for their methods;

If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

Amen.

5

 

OUR FATHER WHO MADE US AND TO WHOM WE BELONG

The 100th Psalm, verse 3 says this;

Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

This verse exorts us to know that the Lord is God and to know that it is He who made us and as such, we are His people. 

The verse likens us to sheep in the Lord's pasture which is alluded to in the book of John chapter 10 verse 27 - 28 where the Lord Jesus says;

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

The Lord made us and we are His and we hear His voice and He knows us and we follow Him.

And to those who follow Him, He gives eternal life and He sustains and holds them forever.

Amen.

8

OUR FATHER WHO IS PLEASED BY OUR FAITH

The book of Hebrews chapter 11 verse 9, speaking of the patriarch Abraham leaving his home to settle in a foreign land,  says this;

By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 

Faith was what Abraham was exercising when he left the security of his homeland to dwell in a distant land as a stranger.

On the strength of the promise of God, he sojourned sight-unseen to a land he was promised and lived in tents as did his descendants Isaac and Jacob who were in line for the same promise.

By holding steadfast to the promise, they overlooked the fact that they lived in tents and instead focused on the greater eternal promise that the Lord had given them a glimpse of and it was faith that they leaned on to trust the hope even when they did not plainly see the final result.

The life of faith is one where the life in tents (or, as it were, the temporal life in the body), may hold no semblance to the eternal promise but we believe and look forward to the day when the incorruptible is revealed.

Amen.

1

OUR FATHER WHO PREPARED OUR LORD AS A SACRIFICE FOR US

The book of Hebrews chapter 10 verses 2 - 3, speaking of the limitations of the yearly sacrifices of the old covenant, says this;

Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.

The writer asks that if the temple sacrifices were sufficient for the cleansing of sins and alleviating the peoples' guilt, wouldn't a one-time offering of those sacrifices have been enough? Instead, those sacrifices, repeated yearly, served only as reminders of sin rather than the removal of guilt.

Hebrews chapter 10 verses 5 - 7, quoting Psalm 40 verses 6 - 8,  relegates the temple sacrifices to the status of shadows and then points to the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who was written about in the scroll and who willingly gave His life as a once-and-for-all sacrifice for many.

 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.

Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’”

The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus was perfect and of eternal worth and able to cleanse from sins and forever remove guilt.

Amen

9

OUR FATHER WHO INTERVENED TO STOP THOSE WHO EXALTED THEMSELVES ABOVE ALL

Isaiah chapter 18 verse 4 verse 44 says this;

This is what the Lord says to me:  “I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah records the Lord speaking to him and telling him that at the time when tall and smooth-skinned people who send their envoys in papyrus boats are under threat and when a banner is raised for everyone to see and a trumpet is blown for everyone to hear, He, the Lord, will watch the events from the place where He dwells.

The Lord describes Himself as being like the shimmering of heat in the sunshine or like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. He will hover over the harvest fields. 

Then, just prior to the harvest, as Isaiah chapter 18 verse 5 says;

For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches.

Here, we read of the Lord being in quiet repose observing the activities on earth and then suddenly, He moves to prune the growing global entity before its fruit is fully mature and even its branches that are spread over the earth will be cut away and disposed of.

Those who exalted themselves above all others as they plotted to take over the affairs of men are destroyed and left to the vultures and carrion-eating animals.

In gratitude for the Lord's intervention to save them from those who had planned to annihilate them, the tall and smooth-skinned people will bring gifts to Zion in honor of the Lord as captured in Isaiah chapter 18 verse 7;

 At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers—the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.

Amen.

7

OUR FATHER WHO MADE A BETTER COVENANT FOR HIS PEOPLE

The book of Hebrews chapter 8 verse 12 quotes from the book of Jeremiah chapter 31 verses 31 -  34 ending in this verse;

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

The prophecy by the prophet Jeremiah foretells of a new covenant that would make the old covenant obsolete and the passage lists the defining characteristics of the new covenant between God and His people.

This list looks at the characteristics of the old covenant and compares them with those of the new covenant listed by Jeremiah;

• Recording media 
• The old covenant was written on stone
• The new covenant would be written in their minds and hearts

• Entry into the Covenant
• In the old covenant, the Lord chose His people by their descendancy from Abraham 
• The new covenant would be with people who chose the Lord to be their God through faith

• Access to God
• In the old covenant, Moses and the leaders knew God and taught the people
• In the new covenant, from least to greatest, all people would know God directly and would be taught by Him

• State of Pardon
• In the old covenant, the sins of the people were removed from them and cast as far as east is from west
• In the new covenant, the Lord would forgive the peoples' wickedness and erase their sin from His mind

This comparison shows how the new covenant has better promises and thus it rendered the old covenant obsolete as Hebrews chapter 8 verse 13 says;

By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHO PRE-FIGURED THE LORD JESUS AS MELCHIZEDEK THE KING AND PRIEST

The book of Hebrews chapter 7 verses 4 - 6, referring to the mysterious figure named  Melchizedek the King of Salem to whom Abraham gave a tenth of the spoil of war, says this;

Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!  

Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham.  

This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 

The name Melchizedek means King of Righteousness and His title,  King of Salem, means King of Peace.

In the scripture, He appears without any mention of His lineage or His origins or His end.

He is an eternal priestly figure to whom even the patriarch Abraham, who had the promises, paid tithes and who had the authority and stature to bless the patriarch.

Furthermore, He is a priest who was installed as an eternal priest by an oath of God as Hebrews chapter 7 verse 21 says.

“The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’”

Thus it is said to the Lord Jesus in Psalm 110 verse 4;

 “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

This means that the Lord Jesus, serves as a priest but He, not being from the tribe of Levi, serves as an eternal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek, in the priestly office created for an eternal being.

Melchizedek was a pre-figuration of the Lord Jesus to whom Abraham paid tithes along with all those who paid tithes to the Levitical priests.

This is because they were, in a manner of speaking, in the body of Abraham at the time he met Melchizedek and thus the tithe payments made to them as Levitical priests were streamed to the Lord Jesus as Melchizedek, through the hand of Abraham when he encountered the Lord.

Amen.

12

OUR FATHER WHO GIVES HIS SERVANTS GREAT GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

The book of Daniel chapter 4 verses 9 - 10 says this;

 I said, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me. 

These are the visions I saw while lying in bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. 

This passage is an excerpt from the testimonial letter that Nebuchadnezzar,  King of Babylon, wrote of his encounter with the Most High God.

Nebuchadnezzar wrote that he had a dream that concerned him and no wise men of his court could interprete it for him until Daniel the prophet, whom the king had named Belteshazzar, arrived.

The king wrote that he had great confidence in Daniel because the spirit of the holy gods was in him and that no mystery was beyond his ability.

The gifts of the Spirit in which Daniel was operating had commended Daniel to the high courts of the land and thus he had been appointed chief magician.

Nebuchadnezzar asked Daniel to interprete the dream for him and proceeded to tell of the visions he saw of a great tree standing in the middle of the land.

As he looked, a loud voice spoke directing that  the great and lofty tree be cut down and the stump be bound up in iron and bronze and remain in the ground among the grass.

The voice commanded that he be covered in dew and that his mind leave him and be replaced with the mind of an animal. 

The spiritual gift in Daniel responded to the dream and he was terrified by the thoughts that entered his mind.  

Nebuchadnezzar wrote that he told Daniel not to let the dream or its meaning alarm him. Daniel then told him that the dream was not about his enemies but about him and that it foretold that he, though great and mighty, would fall from power and be like an animal in the field covered in dew and eating grass.

Daniel also indicated that the king would remain in that state for seven years but would be restored to his rightful mind and have the splendor of his kingdom restored to him.

The king then wrote in his testimony that the things that Daniel has said of the dream came to pass precisely and that He, Nebuchadnezzar, was  now testifying of the greatness of God.

Daniel chapter 4 verse 37 concludes  Nebuchadnezzar's testimony this way;

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Amen.

7

OUR FATHER WHO DESIGNATED A HIGH PRIEST FOR US WHO ARE BEING SAVED

The book of Hebrews chapter 5 verses 8 - 9, speaking of Jesus' appointment to the office of high priest and His intercession for us all in cries and tears, says this;

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him

This verse speaks of the perfection attained by Jesus when He obeyed God the Father even in the face of suffering. By maintaining absolute obedience of God even to the point of death, He publicly demonstrated His perfection and through this, became the salvation of any in the whole world who obeyed Him.

And for those who are saved, the Lord Jesus was designated by the Father to be a priest of the highest order.  As Hebrews chapter 5 verse 10 says;

and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Amen.

3

OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDED A HIGH PRIEST FOR US TO MEDIATE BETWEEN GOD AND MAN

Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 says this;

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

This verse considers the implications of having a high priestly mediator between God and mankind who Himself lived the life of a man and was tempted like we are and yet did not sin.

By having lived in the same mode we are currently in, the Lord Jesus, our high priest, is able to empathize with our weaknesses and thus we can approach the throne of grace with confidence to receive mercy and grace in our time of need.

Amen.

7

OUR FATHER WHO IS GREATLY EXALTED

From Psalm 47 feat. verse 9

Clap your hands, all you nations

Shout to God with cries of joy

For the Lord Most High is awesome in power

He is great Yes He is great over all the earth

God is seated on His  Holy throne

Over the nations, our God reigns

He is the King of all the earth

 Sing to him, Yes sing to Him a psalm of praise

The princes of the nations assemble for Him

 As do the people of the God of Abraham

 For the shields of the earth belong to God

 He is great Yes He is greatly exalted.

2

OUR FATHER WHO REWARDS THE DILIGENT

1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 14 says this;

If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.

The Apostle Paul, writing to the church at Corinth, exorted them to build on the foundation which is Jesus Christ.

The work that they did to build on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, would be revealed by fire and that fire would test the quality of each person's work. 

The quality of work would then be the basis of each individual's reward.

If the work was of poor quality and thus flammable, it would burn up and the doer of those works would have no reward even though they themselves would be saved.

If the workmanship was of high quality and thus survived the test of fire, the workman would receive his commensurate reward.

May our work in the kingdom of God be directed by the Lord and be work of eternal quality.

Amen.

14

OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDED A NEW COVENANT

Hebrews chapter 8 verse 4 says this;

If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.

This verse is the book of Hebrews speaks to the question of the role of the Lord of Jesus Christ as a priest in heaven.

The role of a priest on earth  already fulfils the functions prescribed by the law and so the new priest (who is the Lord Jesus) serves as a priest in the heavenly tabernacle which is what the earthly tabernacle was modeled after.

Whereas the earthly priests offer sacrifices in the man-made tabernacle, the ministry of the  heavenly priest, in the heavenly tabernacle set up by the Lord Himself, offers a superior ministry because it is based on better promises.

Thus the new priest serves a new covenant making the old covenant become obsolete.

Amen

54

OUR FATHER WHO ELEVATES THE HUMBLE

Continuing with Luke chapter 14 verse 9, we press in to search for a deeper meaning in the text;

If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 

The authority strata of the Kingdom of God exists in an inverted hierarchy that is the opposite of the hierarchical  structures of the kingdoms of men.

The kingdoms of men are organized around the elite lording it over their subjects as the Lord Jesus said in Mathew chapter 20 verse 25;

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.

The Kingdom of God is structured such that the most humble servants are at the highest positions of authority while the greatest among men are least in the kingdom of heaven. Mathew chapter 20 verses 26 - 28 says it like this;

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

At the marriage supper of the Lamb, when the saints enter, they will have to be aware of this stratification because it is understanding this inversion that will guide them to the right placement.

Those who regard themselves as least and live as servants of all people will be inclined to move to the humble placements while those who perceive themselves as great will tend to assign to themselves honored places to sit.

This will result is a massive shift of seating when the host, who invited them all, asks the great to move to the least positions while the lowly  servants are elevated to the honored positions.

Lord please help us to understand this and live as humble servants of all.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER COUNSELS HUMILITY

Luke chapter 14 verse 9 says this;

If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 

This verse tells of the humiliation that a person would feel if they assigned themselves to a prominent place at a social gathering and a more distinguished guest arrived. The person would have to asked by the host to move out of the seat they had chosen to make room for the more distinguished person.

At the marriage supper of the Lamb, as the Lord's people arrive, we are counselled to assign ourselves to humble seating places at the tables to avoid the humiliation of over-estimated our placement at the Lord's table and having to be directed to lower stations.

This event in heaven will cause the saints to be self-aware and cogniscent of their standing and stature before the Lord

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO SAVED US AND ASSIGNED HIS SERVANTS TO SPREAD THE NEWS OF IT

1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 4 - 5 says this;

For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 

This passage, written by the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, takes issue with the practice of the Corithians of having jealousies and rivalries over which apostle they were associated with.

They had elevated the ones who taught the gospel to them and did not understand that these were only servants who pointed them to the Lord and not people to whom they should have given their allegiances to.

Paul pointedly asked them if they were not mere human beings when they engaged in this practice. 

Had they transcended mere humanity, they would have had their allegiances to Christ alone without fragmenting into contentious groupings based on which apostle had shared the gospel with them and baptized them.

Paul pointed out that it was the Lord who had assigned each apostle to his task and those who were saved were saved by Christ alone.

Amen.

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 OUR FATHER WHO KNOWS THE HIDDEN THINGS

Daniel chapter 2 verse 4 says this;

Then the astrologers answered the king,“May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

This verse captures the response that the astrologers in King Nebuchadnezzar's court gave when he asked them to interprete a dream that had troubled him.

Nebuchadnezzar told the astrologers to interprete his dream and they naturally asked him to first tell them the dream and then they would give him its interpretation..

But the king was not satisfied with their request  because he had correctly surmised that if someone claimed to have access to the meaning of dreams, they should also have access to the dreams themselves.

If someone presented an answer sheet to an upcoming test, it would be reasonable to presume that the person claiming to have the answer sheet would also have access to the test itself.

The astrologers could not meet the king's demands and he was so angry that he pronounced a death sentence over them.

 The prophet Daniel, upon learning what the king was asking, undertook to save the lives of the astrologers as well as  his own. He and three companions prayed to the Lord in the night and the king's dream and its meaning was given to Daniel in a vision.

Daniel praised the Lord with these words.

He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO JUDGED HIS OWN HOUSE

The book of Ezekiel chapter 12 verse 9 says this;

 “The prince among them will put his things on his shoulder at dusk and leave, and a hole will be dug in the wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land. 

The prophet Ezekiel was directed  by the Lord to enact the exile of the people of Israel from the land.

He was given a specific enactment where he to was to pack some of his things and go to the city wall, dig a hole through the wall with his hands and then leave the city at dusk carrying his pack on his shoulder while covering his face so he couldn't see the land.

The Lord told Ezekiel that if the people watching him do the enactment asked him what he was doing, he was to tell them that he was a sign to them. 

He was to prophecy to them that even the prince among them would pack his things on his shoulder and depart the city as the evening light faded.

He would have a hole through the wall dug for him and he would leave through it with his face covered so that he could not see the land and so that he would not be recognized as he tried to escape.

Ultimately, the Lord would not let him  elude capture and he would be taken into Babylonian exile  from where he would never return.

Such was the judgment upon the rebellion of t

55phe people as Ezekiel prophecied to them.

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