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Hebrews 5:1-4

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.     He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.     Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people.     And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. Jesus is our High Priest.  There are ways in which He is similar to the priests that served the nation of Israel and there are ways in which the differences between the two of them are stark.  The author of Hebrews describes what Israel’s priests were like in this passage so we can see some of these similarities and differences. PRIESTS REPRESENT MEN BEFORE GOD: The basic job description of a priest is to represent God to the people and the people before God.  The priests in Israel were chosen from among the men and for the men to represent those men b
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Hebrews 4:14-16

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.     For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.     Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. This passage contains two exhortations based on three declarations.  The exhortations are to hold fast our confession and draw near to the throne of grace with confidence.  These instructions are particularly helpful in light of the revelation the author has made about Jesus being our Judge who knows all our deeds, words, thoughts, and motives.  We would naturally tend to flee or hide from such a judge.  Instead, we should hold fast and draw near to him.  The reason we should do that is because of these three declarations about who He is. JESUS IS OUR EXHAULTED HIGH PRIE
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Hebrews 4:11-13

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.     For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.     And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Since the goal is to enter the eternal rest that God has promised, we must pay close attention to the teaching of this passage.  We are warned again that it is possible to fall short of entering that rest.  God has provided His Word to show us how to make proper preparations by studying His Word.  Because, one day we will stand before Christ and give an account. WORK TO ENTER REST BY OBEDIENCE: Salvation is by grace through faith alone and not by any works that we can do to earn salvation.  However, it is at the very fiber of our being to try to earn our ow
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Hebrews 4:6-10

Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”     For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on.     So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. The availability of rest does not guarantee that we will experience it.  There are many who hear the promise but do not experience God’s rest for a variety of reasons.  The author of Hebrews warns of this possibility and wants to prepare his readers so they can avoid these pitfalls.   DON’T DISOBEY: The children of Israel were given a promise but failed to receive what was promised to them because of disobedience.  God has commanded that we bel
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Hebrews 4:1-5

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.     For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.     For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.     For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”     And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.” This world is a place of difficult and often futile work and not of rest.  God has promised a place of rest in Himself where we will still work but in ways that are fulfilling and joyful.  In Christ we can have a foretaste of that kind of work here on earth, but God’s plan of redemption promises a perfect rest that will allow us t
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Hebrews 3:15-19

As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”     For who were those who heard and yet rebelled?     Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses?     And with whom was he provoked for forty years?     Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?     And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?     So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. It is a privilege to be exposed to and to know God’s Word.  This implies a responsibility to respond correctly to the revelation and blessings that have been received.  Failure to do so results in consequences that we do not want.  We can control our response to God’s Word but we cannot control the consequences of that response.  The children of Israel who were liberated from Egypt follow a progression we would be wise to avoid. REBELIOUS HEARERS: Hearing the voice of God is a privilege.  The children of
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Hebrews 3:12-14

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.     But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.     For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. Even as believers we run the risk of allowing our hearts to slip into a state of unbelief and sin.  We must be intentional about preventing sin and persevering in the faith.  There are some key steps we can take that will allow us to stand firm for the long haul. AVOID EVIL UNBELIEF: The author is speaking to brothers in this passage, so these are presumed to be believers.  However, they still run the risk of falling away from God because of an evil, unbelieving heart.  In times of persecution and suffering in a sin-cursed world, we can run the risk of doubting or questioning God. This lack of faith is not only displeasing to God, but i
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