Summer Psalms: Book Five, Psalm 143

This week’s devotional was written by Dr. Timothy Tennent. Dr. Tennent is the outgoing President of Asbury Theological Seminary and is a contributing author to Seedbed.com. This devotion is entitled The Gospel In Seed Form: Psalm 143. We hope you are encouraged this week.

1 Lord, hear my prayer,
    listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
    come to my relief.
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,
    for no one living is righteous before you.
3 The enemy pursues me,
    he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness
    like those long dead.
4 So my spirit grows faint within me;
    my heart within me is dismayed.
5 I remember the days of long ago;
    I meditate on all your works
    and consider what your hands have done.
6 I spread out my hands to you;
    I thirst for you like a parched land.

7 Answer me quickly, Lord;
    my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
    or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
    for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
    for to you I entrust my life.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord,
    for I hide myself in you.
10 Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
    lead me on level ground.

11 For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life;
    in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
    destroy all my foes,
    for I am your servant.

 

CONSIDER THIS

Psalm 143 is the seventh and final penitential psalm in the psalter. It is a striking testimony to one of the key themes in the New Testament; namely, the nature of righteousness in the life of the believer.  The psalm begins with David as a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness and mercy: “O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy…” (vs. 1). This theme is why it is one of the penitential psalms.

What is striking is the very mature understanding of the nature of righteousness. The opening invocation of verse one goes on to say….“in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.” David then makes a bold assertion that later becomes a hallmark of New Testament theology: “Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you (vs. 2). The psalm ends on the same note: “For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble” (vs.11).

The psalm makes it clear that we are incapable of saving ourselves and we cannot perform enough righteous deeds to be declared righteous before God. Only God is righteous. This psalm is preparing God’s people for what will later be spelled out very explicitly in Paul’s letter to the Romans. In that letter Paul establishes, as this psalm does, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10), a quote from Psalm 14, but the language is almost identical to Psalm 143:2. Paul then makes the same point that David makes: “But now a righteousness from God apart from Law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify” (Rom. 3:21).

Paul then makes the connection which the psalmist could only foreshadow, namely, that righteousness must be received as a gift, and is available through faith in the merits and perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:23, 24). It is also applied and worked into our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit to which this psalm testifies: “May your good Spirit lead me…” (vs. 10). This is just one of several examples where the psalms attest to the work of the Spirit (See, 51:11; 104:30; 106:33; and 139:7).  A survey of these verses reveals a remarkably early theology of the Holy Spirit. These texts already testify that the Holy Spirit is the source of our life, communicates the presence of God to us, anoints and empowers us, counsels us, and makes us holy!

Psalm 143 is just one tiny example of why it is said that the entire New Testament is found in seed form in the Old Testament, and the entire Old Testament finds it full flowering in the New Testament. As you grow in your understanding of Scripture, you will find an ever increasing appreciation for the continuity across the entire Bible. It is true that the Bible contains sixty-six books written by forty different authors over several thousand years.  Behind this diversity, we must capture the grand unity of the Bible, and the single thread of redemption which runs through the whole. As Christians, we should always see ourselves as a part of this grand, redemptive story that stretches across time, around the globe, and even spans heaven and earth! What a wonderful thing to be a part of this great story!

Summer Psalms: Book Four, Psalm 103

This week’s devotional was written by Brian D. Russell and can be found in his Daily-Weekly book on the Psalms entitled, The Psalms - Part III. Brian Russell is a contributing author to Seedbed.com. We hope you are encouraged this week.

Understanding the Word. Psalm 103 reflects deeply on God’s character. The psalmist praises the Lord because he is a God of steadfast love (hesed) and mercy/compassion. He celebrates the Lord’s willingness to heal and forgive. This willingness finds its roots in the wideness and depth of God’s love. Israel’s story is one of grace and mercy despite their failings. This is our story too. Given the richness of this psalm, we will spend two days on it.

Psalm 103 opens with the psalmist calling on himself (“my soul”) to offer praise for the lavish benefits found in the Lord (vv. 1–5). The Hebrew word translated as “soul” (nephesh) here refers to the totality of our being. The psalmist desires to offer his whole self (emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually) in witness to God’s greatness. To bless the Lord’s “holy name” is to recognize the implications of God’s otherness from creation. We will return to this theme tomorrow in our discussion of verses 15–22). Verse 2 warns against forgetting the benefits of God. When we suffer and struggle, it is sometimes easier to focus on our problems rather than to remember the abundance of resources in the Lord.

Verses 3–5 list a series of affirmations about the Lord’s actions on behalf of his people. The Lord forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, and satisfies. These are profound and personal actions. Verse 3 gives no qualification or limits to God’s capacity to forgive and heal as indicated by the use of “all.” This personal witness is the story of God’s people whom he has sustained and loved despite the national trials of the loss of kingship and exile (Psalm 89). In fact, the Lord is capable of turning threats and chaos into restoration because of his “steadfast love and mercy” (v. 4). With the Lord, God’s people will not merely survive, but live to thrive (v. 5).

Verses 6–14 describe the character of the Lord’s love and mercy. Verse 6 declares God’s works of vindication/righteousness and justice for “all who are oppressed.” The biblical story announces a different kind of God who does not privilege the powerful and well connected. Instead the Lord is for all— especially those who suffer at the hands of others. This is the narrative of the history of God’s people as seen in the exodus from Egypt. Verses 7–10 call to mind how God revealed himself to the Israelites at Sinai after they had built a golden calf (Exodus 32–34). Verses 8–10 allude to Exodus 34:6–7 where God shares the full meaning of his name with Moses. The Lord declared his eternal love and mercy over against the finiteness of his judgment. This was good news to God’s people who had sinned greatly. It remains good news for us.

Verses 11–14 are worth memorizing. They remind God’s people of what it really means that God is love. His loving mercy, compassion, and grace are without limit. This is the gospel. It is not an excuse for our sins, but it tells us that there is a way back.

Summer Psalms: Book Four, Psalm 99

This week’s devotional was written by Dr. Timothy Tennent. Dr. Tennent is the outgoing President of Asbury Theological Seminary and is a contributing author to Seedbed.com. This devotion is entitled God’s Greater Tabernacle. We hope you are encouraged this week.

PSALM 99 (NIV)

1 The Lord reigns,
    let the nations tremble;
he sits enthroned between the cherubim,
    let the earth shake.
2 Great is the Lord in Zion;
    he is exalted over all the nations.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name—
    he is holy.

4 The King is mighty, he loves justice—
    you have established equity;
in Jacob you have done
    what is just and right.
5 Exalt the Lord our God
    and worship at his footstool;
    he is holy.

6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
    Samuel was among those who called on his name;
they called on the Lord
    and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;
    they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.

8 Lord our God,
    you answered them;
you were to Israel a forgiving God,
    though you punished their misdeeds.
9 Exalt the Lord our God
    and worship at his holy mountain,
    for the Lord our God is holy.

CONSIDER THIS

In this psalm, the psalmist recalls the great figures of Israel’s past. He enshrines in song how Moses, Aaron, and Samuel had faithfully served the Lord (v. 6). They had faithfully called upon the Lord in the earthly tabernacle, which was the place God had ordained for humanity to meet with him. The psalmist also recalls the glory of Mount Sinai when God spoke to his people and gave the law, including the Ten Commandments. And then three times, the phrase “[God] he is holy” appears, almost as an encompassing refrain throughout the psalm (vv. 3, 5, 9). Echoing the great threefold “holy, holy, holy” of Isaiah 6:3 and anticipating the same declaration of the four living creatures in Revelation 4:8, the psalmist reminds us that the holiness of the tabernacle and the mountain were both derived from the presence of God the Lord—who alone is holy.

As Christians, we know that in Jesus Christ a greater tabernacle has come into our midst! It is through Jesus Christ that we have now been brought near to God; not by an earthly tabernacle made by hands, but by the eternal Christ who is the one true Mediator between God and man. When the psalmist calls us to “exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain” (Ps. 99:9) we recall that we “have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm . . . But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem . . . to the church of the firstborn . . . to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant” (Heb. 12:18, 22–24). This is the great transaction that the incarnation accomplishes on our behalf. Mercy and redemption are not found at a place, whether a holy mountain or an earthly temple, but in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Guest Preacher - Pastor David Hicks: Living Well in a Dsus World - Psalm 77

 
 

Every so often, we will have a guest speaker at CrossView Church. We are so grateful for the gifted women and men that serve the Lord through teaching the word. This week we hear from Pastor David Hicks. Pastor David is a retired Free Methodist Pastor and Leader. He served as Lead Pastor at CrossView Church in the early 2000s. We hope you are encouraged by this week’s message.

Usually, when we have a guest speaker, we will not have a weekly devotion. We encourage you to watch the message again at some point throughout the week.

Blessings on you and your week.

Pastor Kyle

Guest Preacher - Rev. Dr. Kevin Austin: Psalm 74

 
 

Every so often, we will have a guest speaker at CrossView Church. We are so grateful for the gifted women and men that serve the Lord through teaching the word. This week we hear from Rev. Dr. Kevin Austin. Kevin is the founder and director of the Set Free Movement. The Set Free Movement works to mobilize faith communities, financial partners, and all segments of society towards ending human trafficking and creating new futures through community-based action. You can find out more information about The Set Free Movement by clicking here. We hope you are encouraged by this week’s message.

Usually, when we have a guest speaker, we will not have a weekly devotion. We encourage you to watch the message again at some point throughout the week.

Blessings on you and your week.

Pastor Kyle

Resources:

Summer Psalms: Book Two, Psalm 67

This week’s devotional was written by Dr. Timothy Tennent. Dr. Tennent is the outgoing President of Asbury Theological Seminary and is a contributing author to Seedbed.com. This devotion is entitled Blessed To Be A Blessing: Psalm 67. We hope you are encouraged this week.

PSALM 67 (NIV)

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
    your salvation among all nations.

3 May the peoples praise you, God;
    may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you rule the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God;
    may all the peoples praise you.

6 The land yields its harvest;
    God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God bless us still,
    so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

—

CONSIDER THIS

Psalm 67 opens by setting the famous Aaronic blessing into an act of worship. The Aaronic blessing is, perhaps, one of the most famous prayers in the Old Testament: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Num. 6:24–26). Psalm 67 recalls this prayer with its opening words: “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us” (v. 1). But it is in Psalm 67 that we discover the reason that God is gracious to us, and blesses us, and turns his face toward us. God blesses us so that we might be a blessing to the world: “that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations” (v. 2). This verse of the psalm recalls the covenantal blessing to Abraham, which promises that in his seed all nations would be blessed.

It is here in Psalm 67 that these two great streams meet: God’s covenantal blessing to us (Aaronic blessing in Numbers 6) and his promise to bless all nations (Abrahamic promise in Genesis 12). It is even more amazing that these two great streams meet in an act of worship. It is only in worship that we can fully recognize who we are as the blessed ones and what it means for us to be blessed. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are blessed so that those who have not yet experienced the blessings of God might know him and join in the growing circle of praise to him. Indeed, the psalm ends with the great missional purpose of all praise: “God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him” (v. 7).

Guest Preacher - Pastor David Hicks: A Psalm for Troubled Times

 
 

Every so often, we will have a guest speaker at CrossView Church. We are so grateful for the gifted women and men that serve the Lord through teaching the word. This week we hear from Pastor David Hicks. Pastor David is a retired Free Methodist Pastor and Leader. He served at Lead Pastor at CrossView Church in the early 2000s. We hope you are encouraged by this week’s message.

Usually, when we have a guest speaker, we will not have a weekly devotion. We encourage you to watch the message again at some point throughout the week.

Blessings on you and your week.

Pastor Kyle

Summer Psalms: Book One, Psalm 34

This week’s devotional was written by Dr. Timothy Tennent. Dr. Tennent is the outgoing President of Asbury Theological Seminary and is a contributing author to Seedbed.com. This devotion is entitled The Blessedness of the Righteousness (Psalm 34). We hope you are encouraged this week.

PSALM 34 (NIV)

I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

CONSIDER THIS

Psalm 34 is another one of the acrostic psalms in the psalter. This psalm is dedicated to teaching us about the blessedness of following the righteous way, which begins with the fear of God: “My children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD” (vs. 11). This psalm was written at the time when David was fleeing from Saul and had no safe place of refuge. Therefore, the heart of the psalm is found in verse 8, “Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” The psalms as a whole seek to portray in broad outline what it means to be blessed. Throughout the psalter there are ten times when the phrase, “blessed is the one” appears. If you examine each of the ten it gives us a wonderful insight into the way of the righteous. Read each of these carefully and see how beautifully they outline the broad contours of the one who is blessed:

Psalm 1:1 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.”
Psalm 32:1 “Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against him.”
Psalm 34:8 “Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
Psalm 40:4 “Blessed is the one who makes the Lord his trust.”
Psalm 41:1 “Blessed is the one who has regard for the poor.”
Psalm 65:4 “Blessed is the one you choose to bring near to live in your courts.”
Psalm 84:12 “Blessed is the one who trusts in you.”
Psalm 94:12 “Blessed is the one you discipline, O Lord.”
Psalm 112:1 “Blessed is the one who fears the Lord.”
Psalm 127:5 “Blessed is the one whose quiver is full of them (children).”

What a wonderful picture of the blessed!

This Psalm is also important for Christians since it is here that David declares that God “protects all his bones and not one of them will be broken” (vs. 20) which is later quoted in John 19:33-36 when the soldiers did not break Jesus’ bones as he hung upon the cross. It is a powerful sign of how God is our refuge and protector even in the fiercest trial.

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Summer Psalms: Book One, Psalm 3

This week’s devotional was written by Dr. Timothy Tennent. Dr. Tennent is the outgoing President of Asbury Theological Seminary and is a contributing author to Seedbed.com. This devotion is entitled God’s Mighty Warrior (Psalm 3). We hope you are encouraged this week.

PSALM 3 (NIV)

Lord, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
    “God will not deliver him.”

But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.

I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.

Arise, Lord!
    Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
    break the teeth of the wicked.

From the Lord comes deliverance.
    May your blessing be on your people.

 

CONSIDER THIS

It is a rare experience in the contemporary church to hear any mention of the enemies of righteousness. Yet Psalm 3 is the prayer of a believer involved in a real conflict. The psalmist is acutely aware of the foes arrayed against him: “O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!” (v. 1). He is aware that the world is convinced that “God will not deliver him” (v. 2). But despite his circumstances, with ten thousand drawn up against him, the psalmist rests in the sure confidence that the Lord is “a shield around [him]” (v. 3) and the glory and lifter of his head.

As Christians, we must ask ourselves if we can rightly pray verse 7, which boldly asks God to smite our enemies on the jaw. Aren’t we supposed to pray for our enemies, not against them? Should we quietly skip over verse 7 as a pre-Christian prayer that has been superseded by the coming of Christ? As Christians we recognize that our struggle is “not against flesh and blood” (see Eph. 6:12). The forces arrayed against us should not be confused with the person opposing us or persecuting us. The power of evil is the enemy, even though we recognize that Satan’s diabolical rule is extended through flesh and blood. The New Testament does not ignore our earthly enemies. Rather, it calls us to recognize the deeper spiritual conflict that is arrayed against us. We pray this prayer through the lens of that deeper spiritual conflict. We must never forget that we are engaged in a spiritual conflict that is cosmic in scale. Behind every human enemy who embodies opposition to God’s rule, behind every terminal illness or debilitating depression, stands the enemy of our souls. We can earnestly pray that God intervene on our behalf against those forces arrayed against us. To ask God to strike against the jaw is a way of asking God to bring to an end all opposition to his rule. We should never forget, after all, that this is a prayer to God, directed to God for his divine action and his final vindication. We pray for our enemies, even as we ask God to put an end to all the schemes of wickedness, which are expressions of that great spiritual conflict. Sometimes praying against our enemies is, in a deeper sense, the greatest expression of praying for our enemies, since turning our enemy from opposition to God to submission to his rule is a great gift and an even greater mercy.

For the Awakening,
Timothy and Julie Tennent

Guest Preacher - Pastor David Hicks: Paying Attention

 
 

Every so often, we will have a guest speaker at CrossView Church. We are so grateful for the gifted women and men that serve the Lord through teaching the word. This week we hear from Pastor David Hicks. Pastor David is a retired Free Methodist Pastor and Leader. He served at Lead Pastor at CrossView Church in the early 2000s. We hope you are encouraged by this week’s message.

Usually, when we have a guest speaker, we will not have a weekly devotion. We encourage you to watch the message again at some point throughout the week.

Blessings on you and your week.

Pastor Kyle

Guest Preacher - Cambodian Superintendent Daniel Sar

 
 

Every so often, we will have a guest speaker at CrossView Church. We are so grateful for the gifted women and men that serve the Lord through teaching the word. This week we hear from Superintendent Daniel Sar. Supt. Daniel leads the Free Methodist work in the country of Cambodia. Dr. Darin Land will help facilitate a conversation with Supt. Daniel at CrossView on Sunday. You can watch the conversation above.

If you would like more information or if you would like to support the Free Methodist work in Asia you can visit: https://fmwm.org/asia/cambodia/.

Usually, when we have a guest speaker, we will not have a weekly devotion. We encourage you to watch the message again at some point throughout the week.

Blessings on you and your week.

Pastor Kyle

Hebrews: The Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever

This week’s devotional was written by Dr. Bryan Whitfield and is entitled, Commentary on Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16. Dr. Whitfield is a Professor and the Chair of the Columbus Roberts Department of Religion at Mercer University. We hope you will be encouraged.

How do we go about living as Christians in a society where we find ourselves increasingly on the margins?

Our need to answer that question places us close to the original congregation that received this pastoral word of encouragement that we call Hebrews, for that group of believers struggled to hold on and hold out in the face of pressures from the broader society as well.1 In listening to the word addressed to them, we may also hear a word for ourselves.

The writer of Hebrews rounds out his sermon with a set of ethical teachings. These words form an interconnected series about how to live as a community of faith in an indifferent or even hostile world. They provide practices that set our community apart from its broader culture. To return to the image of the Christian life as a race (12:1), these words of exhortation function as marks of the trail. They keep us on the path and on our way to the goal.

The first mark, which forms the foundation for all the rest, is love. The writer focuses our attention in two directions. First, he points us to the love of fellow believers in community: “let mutual love continue” (13:1). Here the writer employs the word philadelphia, the Greek noun expressing the love between brothers and sisters. We are family, and we must continue to nurture and strengthen that bond if we are to find our way.

But love also has an external dimension. As we show love to our brothers and sisters, we do not wall ourselves off as members of a distinct tribe. We are also to show love to the stranger through the gift of hospitality (13:2). In the first century, hospitality was a practical virtue because inns were disreputable places. There were no Ramada Inns or Motel 6s. Though our circumstances are different, hospitality–paying attention to the stranger–remains a vital demonstration of love. We must become welcoming and inviting congregations. The writer reminds us that when we are hospitable, we too receive gifts because we may entertain “angels without knowing it” (13:2). Perhaps the writer was thinking about Abraham (Genesis 18) or Gideon (Judges 6) or Manoah (Judges 13). For all of these characters, hospitality led to new stories of good news, new possibililites, new life, and new avenues of service.

A second mark of the trail is to show care in times of distress. The writer mentions two crises in particular: those who are in prison and those who are being tortured (13:3). In both cases, the writer underscores the depth of compassion in its sense of suffering-with-others. Our life is a life in the body, and just as Jesus as our great high priest identifies with our tests and shares our vulnerability (2:14, 18; 4:15), so we should identify with those of our sisters and brothers.2

The third mark is fidelity: we should honor marriage, and we should be faithful to our marriage covenants. Such faithfulness sets us apart from the broader culture and strengthens the bonds of the community. Infidelity is not a private matter. It weakens the fabric of community, and those who are faithless bear responsibility for the wreckage their lack of steadfastness produces.

Contentment with what we have is the fourth mark of the trail (13:5). We do not greedily seek more to secure our lives. Rather we are to trust in God’s promises of presence and protection. Quoting first from Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 (see also Joshua 1:5), the writer reminds us that God will not leave us or forsake us (13:5). Yet, God is not simply present. As Psalms 118:6 demonstrates, God is our helper, so we need fear no human action or institution (13:6).

A fifth mark is loyalty and constancy. We should remember those who have spoken the word of God to us, for their faithfulness stands as an example for us (13:7). The ultimate example of faithfulness, of course, is Jesus (12:1-3), who “is the same yesterday and today and forever” (13:8).

The final mark is proper worship, and, in particular, proper sacrifice. That advice is no surprise, since worship has been central to this sermon. We are to make an offering of thanksgiving in response to the blessings we have received under the new covenant. First we are called to offer a sacrifice of praise as we confess Christ’s name. But acceptable sacrifice moves beyond the arena of worship and confession. As those who have received grace and trust in God’s provision, we are called to extend such grace toward others through doing good and by sharing what we have. We honor our generous God by living with open hands. We do not cling to our resources in order to secure our own lives in the face of an uncertain future. Instead, we share what we have as divine gifts entrusted to us as stewards of God’s bounty.3

This final mark, with its focus on acceptable worship, underscores the unity of all these admonitions. Having called us to give thanks and offer our acceptable worship to God (12:28), the writer now spells out the various dimensions of that worship.4  Acceptable worship does not find expression solely in ritual acts in the assembly or sanctuary. It infuses all of life. Thus in our love for each other or for strangers or in our care for those in crisis, we are worshipping God. In our sharing that reflects our trust in God rather than possessions, we are worshipping God. In our faithfulness to our covenants and to the example of those who have gone before us, we are worshipping God.

We embody this way of life, not on the basis of our guilt or in any effort to secure God’s favor, but because God’s grace transforms and empowers us. Jesus, whose constancy knows no end, has opened for us a new way to God so that we may approach God’s throne with confidence (10:19-22). In response, we offer both our praise and the witness of all of our lives with thanks and praise.

Hebrews: Looking To Jesus

This week’s devotional was written by J.D. Walt and is entitled From Functional Religion to Transcendent Faith. J.D. Walt is the Executive Director of Seedbed.com. We hope this devotion encourages you this week.

ROMANS 12:14–16 (NIV)

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

CONSIDER THIS

So Romans 12:1 contains the CTA for the whole letter (again, if not the whole Bible). CTA = Call to action. It is to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.” Romans 12:2 contains the cause of action, who is Jesus through the Holy Spirit, the very mercy of God himself. It’s why the text says, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It sounds passive on first hearing. The point is to say Jesus is the actor here, not you and me. We do not transform ourselves. So many of us, present company included, have spent years trapped in what I call “functional religion”—trying harder and harder to do more and more to be better and better. It is a religion of striving after God. It is futile and frustrating and ultimately fruitless. It produces self-righteous so-called saints who measure their progress by comparing themselves to others. In other words, they lift themselves up by putting others down. We do not mean to do this, but until we get our eyes off of ourselves and onto Jesus we simply can’t help it. 

To “be transformed” is to move into the realm of what we call “transcendent faith.” This is the way by which the “righteousness of God” comes to us as a gift. Our only work is that of receiving. People tend to reject this because it feels like passivity, which we tend to despise. The operative term is not passivity but receptivity. This is where we are most broken—our ability to receive love—from God and from others. It is hard for us to be embraced just as we are because we refuse to embrace ourselves as such. It is far more comfortable to try to live in the broken paradigm of “believing and behaving.” The mystery of grace comes when we shift into the approach of “beholding and becoming.” We behold this miraculous vision of mercy, who is Jesus. He imparts to us the miracle of grace, and we mysteriously begin to become the mercy and grace of God ourselves. This is why grace is deemed amazing because it breaks through our brokenness and heals us. Many people have accepted a religious truth and considered it salvation. Fewer have actually received mercy and grace—who is the living, risen Jesus Christ. 

As the Scripture says, BEHOLD! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. (Rev. 3:20)

Many of us have heard the knock and said, “Come in.” We actually have to open the door. This is the shift from believing to beholding. It leads to the ongoing miracle of actually becoming like him whom we behold. This dear friends, is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. 

THE PRAYER

Abba Father! Thank you for mercy and grace, though I scarcely can even grasp the meaning. So thank you for Jesus, and that he has come to my door and that he stands there and knocks and keeps knocking. Thank you that though he hears my meager reply to “come in,” he waits for me to come to the door. I want to come to the door and swing it wide to Jesus. I know you aren’t looking for me to dosomething, but rather to open wide the door of my heart more than I have before; to let go of my former religion and enter into a real and ever deeper relationship. Come Holy Spirit and interpret this to my soul and lead me in this way of the will of God. Praying in Jesus’s name, amen. 

THE QUESTION

Are you seeing the difference between believing and beholding; between behaving and becoming? Are you sensing your heart drawn into the depths of who Jesus is and beyond what we are calling “functional religion”? Do you find your mind longing for transcendent faith? 

Hebrews: Passing On The Faith

This week’s devotional was written by Tommy Williams and is entitled 4 Ways To Pass Down Your Faith to Future Generations. Tommy Williams is a contributing writer to seedbed.com. We hope this devotion encourages you this week.

A myth-busting, eye-opening study by Vern Bengtson and a team of researchers helps families and communities understand how faith is transmitted from one generation to the next. Families and Faith: How Religion is Passed Down Across Generations is the result of four decades of research, the largest ever study of religion and family across generations. The book presents excellent information and suggestions and also contains a joyful surprise about the author and researcher’s own faith journey.

I was drawn to this book for a couple of reasons. As a father I want to understand what has been the best model for teaching one’s faith to children and as a pastor I want to counsel our families to do the same. So when I saw this book listed in a magazine I read, I ordered it quickly and it did not disappoint.

The public narrative – and even the story told within congregations – is that the influence of parents in teaching the faith is waning; cultural forces are overwhelming the good intentions of mothers and fathers and challenging the faith formation ministries of our congregations. Underlying all of this angst is the sense that the faithful are losing the struggle and that these forces are more powerful than ever.  Bengston and the team from the University of Southern California discovered, however, that in fact, most adult children model the faith of their parents.

One very revealing and challenging insight is the importance of what the study calls “parental warmth” for the transmission of faith. Those children who remained in the faithful fold as adults had parents who were consistent, unconditionally supportive, and active role models of love, respect, and patience with their children and their faith development.

In particular the study revealed that those who remained a part of that faith as adults had a father who was “warmly pious” in his own faith during their growing years. This is not to say the father was necessarily verbose in his faith expression, or was overly sentimental.  Rather, the children experienced their father as faithful, and it was clear that his motives for prayer, generosity, mission and service were rooted in his faith, however vocal or quiet that father was.  Whatever the personal or emotional makeup of the father, each can communicate “warmth” about his faith. The cold, distant or inconsistent parent forebodes difficulty for faith transmission to the children in that household (186).

Obvious challenges then exist for homes with emotionally distant fathers, unhealthy ones, and for those homes where there is no father at all. Not surprisingly, divorce and interfaith marriage also present obstacles to the passing of a family’s faith from one generation to the next.  Another revealing insight from the study helps to address these challenges. Communities are vitally important to the faith being passed on. One imagines then that congregations must be aggressive and intentional about engaging mentoring programs within the congregation and outside of it. The challenge of absent, disinterested, or troubled fathers is not relegated to certain social or economic classes; this truth is present in the home of rich and poor alike, although social and economic struggles, of course, exacerbate them.

A further significant result of the study is the increasing or returned importance of grandparents and great grandparents in the transmission of faith. Because of their increased life expectancies and demographic changes in American society, Millenials and Generation Xers will have greater involvement with their grandparents, and for some, with their great grandparents, than any previous generation of grandchildren in American history (100).

So how can parents and faith communities have the best chance at fruitfully passing faith on to the next generations based on this study’s findings?

1) Focus on the quality of your own relationships

First, parents and fathers in particular need to focus most on the “nature and quality” of their relationship with their children as much or more than what they teach about the faith. This in itself fosters the faith overall.

2) Belong to a faith community

Second, faith communities “fill the gap” by promoting mentor programs inside and outside of the church that give children and youth a warm engagement with the faith that is authentic, patient and loving. Included in this must be an emphasis in engaging retired persons as their faith modeling has a significant impact.

3) Churches should focus on the family unit

Third, congregations should focus on the family unit, however its makeup, as central to the transmission of faith. Equipping parents to live authentically their faith in a genuine, warm way will transmit Christian faith to the children.

4) Take a long range view

Finally, take a long range view. According to the study, religious exploration should be welcomed in a diverse world. This might sound contradictory to the other results but the research showed that if a child has been given a firm foundation in the faith of the parents, they more often than not retain or return to that faith. Allowing the child to learn about others outside the faith should not be seen as threatening as long as the parents have humbly and warmly modeled their own faith.

Contrary to the popular narrative that “these kids today” are straying away at faster rates, don’t listen to their parents, and want to go it alone on spirituality, Bengston’s study reveals quite different results.

Oh, and about the author, something happened along the way toward finishing this project. On Easter Sunday just over three years ago, he wandered into a worship service. He was “surprised by joy” as C.S. Lewis famously said. “I came back,” Bengston proclaimed. These days he is in worship every week, singing in the choir, engaged in Bible study one day a week and a theology study group another night.  His own life is revealing another insight from his study of others – prodigals do often come back home to the faith of their youth.

Hebrews: Confident Hope

This week’s devotional was written by Ken Schenck and is entitled Believing God’s Promises. Ken Schenck is a New Testament scholar and a contributing writer to seedbed.com. We hope this devotion encourages you this week.

Key Observation: The heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 were not able to receive the promise of atonement because only Jesus could bring it. They lived their whole lives with faith without receiving the promise.

Understanding the Word

The faith chapter of Hebrews 11 continues to tell of many other heroes of faith and situations where individuals from Israel’s history showed faith of various kinds. Abraham showed faith when he offered Isaac. He knew that Isaac was the child of promise, and yet here was Isaac facing his death. So the audience might face death, but God could bring back the dead.

Jacob and Joseph both saw promises that would come to pass long after their deaths, but they believed them anyway. So the audience of Hebrews needed to believe, whether Jesus saved them or not. Moses’ parents faced the threat of the king, but they disobeyed him all the same. So the Roman government might threaten the audience of Hebrews, but they should not fear but move forward in faithfulness.

Moses himself could have enjoyed “the fleeting pleasures of sin” (11:25). He could have enjoyed the opportunities of the world he could see. Instead, he chose to be mistreated as part of the people of God in order that he might receive a great reward later. He could see the invisible God with the eyes of faith, and that faith was the substance of things for which he hoped. By faith Moses crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. By faith the walls of Jericho fell. Sometimes faith brings victory in this present time and not only in the promised future. By faith Rahab picked the right side, and it was not the side of the people with whom she visibly lived at the time.

It is at this point that we reach the verses above. The author of Hebrews did not tell the individual stories but he listed a number of individuals whose stories of faith could certainly be told. Their stories differ from each other. God granted victory to some over their enemies. Gideon and Barak won. Jephthah and David won. Others did not win. Hebrews 11:35 may refer to a Jewish story about a mother and seven brothers, all of whom had the faith to die in the face of persecution because they believed in the resurrection.

What is very interesting is that Hebrews tells us that none of these actually received the promise in their lifetimes. That is to say, the promise of true cleansing and atonement would have to wait until Jesus Christ. They were not made “perfect” apart from Christ. They died in faith that God would resolve the problem of the world. God would one day solve the problem of the world, but it did not take place while these heroes were alive. They were waiting for the promise of Christ, a promise that had now come to pass. Now they could be perfected because Christ’s offering has been made. Now not only these heroes but the audience of Hebrews could be perfected. Indeed, we can be perfected if we will only continue in faith.

The faith chapter of Hebrews 11 is thus about endurance to the end even more than it is about believing what is not seen. It is about being willing to be sawed in half, as the tradition suggested happened to Isaiah. Sometimes God grants victory over our enemies, but our task is to have faith even if his will is different for us.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Are you prepared to live your life out in faith even if it is not God’s will
    to deliver you from trial and persecution?

  2. Sometimes we ourselves are not the target of persecution, but we have to decide whether we are going to stand with others who are. Are we prepared to stand with the oppressed, should the time come?

  3. There are always Christians-in-waiting watching us on the sidelines. How we react to hard times could be the difference between faith or no faith. Does that create any resolve in you?

Hebrews: In Tune With Hope

This week’s devotional was written by J.D. Walt and is entitled, On Letting Perseverance Finish Its Work. J. D Walt is the Executive Director of seedbed.com. We hope this devotion encourages you this week.

JAMES 1:2-4 (NIV)

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

CONSIDER THIS

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

It is so clear isn’t it? Perseverance is not something we are doing. It I something that is being done within us. Perseverance is what Jesus through his Spirit is doing. To persevere is to participate with the Holy Spirit’s work to image us in the image of Jesus. The operative word is let. Oh how we need this kind of holy imagination in the face of a test or trial. Let perseverance finish its work . . . 

Can you “let perseverance finish its work?” In the deepest pit of despair can you muster the faith to mouth the words, “Jesus, I belong to you”? This trial is happening to you, but the work of Jesus is happening in you. Don’t fight the trial. Lean into Jesus. This trial can break you down. It can break you up. These are the conditions for Jesus to break in and to break through. And look what happens when perseverance finishes its work:

so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

The Bible word is telios. It actually means perfect. It’s not perfect as in flawless and without error but perfect as in flourishing and fullness, and fullness as in the fullness of God. A trial, in the hands of Jesus, becomes the process of becoming empty of all that needed emptying out so that a new and mature and complete fullness could come in its wake. 

I sense I am talking to quite a number of people directly today. I sense I am talking to someone in particular who is contemplating ending your life today. We forbid it in Jesus name and break the curse of death over you and call forth the Resurrection Life and Power of Jesus to begin to fill you like a well. (You email me today and we will talk and pray together over the phone jd.walt@seedbed.com.)

To the man or woman reading this (when it becomes a book), sitting in a prison cell, thinking all is lost—be assured, perseverance is finishing its work in you. Jesus didn’t want this awful suffering for your life, but he is making you whole and mature and full—yes, perfect—through the suffering. Let perseverance finish its work. 

Be encouraged today. From this trial, though it be a testing of your faith, will come deep humility, profound authority, and breathtaking love. It is already happening. 

THE PRAYER

Father, we especially pray for the one who is thinking of taking their own life today. And we pray for the eyes to see and he ears to hear and the heart to turn to who that may be in our own context—especially the young among us—and love them extravagantly. Lord Jesus, we want to let perseverance finish its work in us. the Bible tells us you were made perfect through what you suffered and you were already perfect so we know you did that for us to show us what it looks like. You are THE ONE who perseveres for the joy set before you and we bless you to persevere in and through us today. Come Holy Spirit and make us mature, complete, and perfect—filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. IN Jesus name, Amen. 

THE QUESTION

How is perseverance finishing its work in you right about now? How is that going? What does it feel like? How are you understanding and interpreting it?   

Hebrews: Understanding Melchizedek

This week’s devotional is writen by Timothy Tennet, and is entitled, Abraham Meets the King-Priest Melchizedek. Dr. Tennet is the President of Asbury Theological Seminary. We hope this encourages your faith.

A key feature of Christ’s fulfillment of the Old Testament is that he would come and be the final high priest. This emerges in the book of Genesis in a rather unexpected way. Genesis 14 opens with the account of a regional conflict that pits five local kings against four other kings who oversee small areas of the region. The four kings defeated the five kings, who fled with all their men, allowing Kedorlaomer and his allies to capture everything—cattle, sheep, women, and children—anything and everything. In the ancient world these were considered the spoils of war since no soldier was paid for his service. You may recall that Abraham’s (Abram at this point in the story) nephew Lot had decided to live in Sodom (see Genesis 13), which was a notoriously wicked city. Sodom was one of the little kingdoms defeated in this conflict, so Kedorlaomer and his allies had captured Abraham’s nephew Lot and taken all of his belongings. Abraham heard that his nephew had been taken captive, so he took 318 of his best-trained men and set out on a hundred-mile pursuit and finally overtook them way up in the north. Abraham knew he didn’t have the forces to defeat them in a pitched battle, so he divided his men to attack them at night and routed them. The fleeing kings abandoned their spoils, and Abraham recaptured everything that had been taken. He returned home with his nephew Lot and his possessions, and all the captured slaves and livestock.

Melchizedek Enters the Scene

In Genesis 14:18 a very odd thing happens. It is so odd that the Jewish people ruminated over this for centuries. A man named Melchizedek, who was not a part of this conflict, comes to Abraham. There are six things about this encounter that were considered quite strange.

1. His name is Melchizedek, which means “king of righteousness,” or perhaps “one who worships or honors the king of the righteousness.” Who is this king of righteousness?

2. He is the king of Salem, which means “peace” and is an early reference to what would later be called Jerusalem.

3. He is both a king and a priest. In verse 18 he is called king of Salem and “priest of God Most High.” Israel would have kings and priests, but never in one person. The kings came from the line of Judah, but the priests from the line of Levi. This is very strange, indeed.

4. He emerges with no calling card or proper introduction. He just comes out of the blue. Everybody knows, even the people that have never actually read the Bible, that the Scriptures are full of genealogies, which tell how a certain person begat a person who begat another person, and so forth. Family lineages (who you are, who is your daddy, and where do you come from) were very important things in the ancient world. It was like your calling card. No one said, “Hello. My name is so-and-so.” Rather, they said, “Hello. My name is so-and-so, the son of so-and-so, the grandson of so-and-so, who was victorious in this or that battle, or who performed some great feat.” Everyone was connected. There was no personal identity or personal autonomy as it is known in the modern world. It is because of the absence of information about Melchizedek that the Jewish people speculated quite a bit about who he might have been. We don’t know who his father or mother was, nothing of his genealogy, either his ancestors or progeny, and we don’t even know how old he was.

5. He brings out bread and wine and blesses Abraham, not the other way around. Bread and wine are the primordial elements of life that would someday reemerge at the Passover and at the Eucharist. Melchizedek offered these gifts and this blessing by invoking the name of God Himself, El Elyon, a title that is used twenty-eight times in the Old Testament: “Blessed be Abram by [El Elyon] God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to [El Elyon] God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand” (vv. 19–20).

6. Abraham tithed 10 percent of all the spoils of war to Melchizedek. Genesis 14:20 records that “Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” It was customary to tithe 10 percent of the spoils to a king. The great patriarch Abraham, the fountainhead of monotheism and one of the most influential people in the history of the world, was tithing to this unknown priest-king named Melchizedek.

Biblical References Regarding a King-Priest

Psalm 110
The memory of this encounter stays with the Jewish people for a thousand years—all the way to the time of David. David, as you know, wrote many of the Psalms, several of which are known as coronation psalms (i.e., psalms to celebrate the coronation of a king). In Psalm 110, David seems to prophetically prefigure not merely his own son’s coronation, but also great David’s greater Son, the true messianic king who was to come and redeem Israel. Psalm 110 is a coronation psalm for a king, and yet it extols the figure as a “priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (v. 4). For a people who only knew of the order of Aaron and the Levitical priesthood, this meant that the prefigured Messiah would be both king and priest. David is aware that this is a major dilemma that must be resolved. How can the Messiah be both high king and high priest? Judah is the kingly line; Levi is the priestly line. The two lineages are separate, so how can the Messiah fulfill both? But David remembers the story of Melchizedek from millennia earlier. In Psalm 110, David hints at the solution by stating that there was a priesthood that was earlier than the tribe of Levi which dates back to Abraham, who is the great-grandfather of all the tribes. It is in Psalm 110 that we learn of the order of Melchizedek.

Zechariah 6
This hope appears again in Zechariah 6:9–15. There the Lord instructs Zechariah to take the high priest, whose name, amazingly, is the Hebrew name for Jesus—Joshua—and to declare that his name is the Branch and that he will rebuild the temple, the dwelling place of God, and will be clothed with majesty and sit on a throne. He will be a priest on the throne, bringing harmony between the two: the kingship and the priesthood. Again, in Israel, no one could ever be both a king and a priest. Abraham’s grandson Jacob had twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Jacob—two of his sons were Judah and Levi. It was from Judah that the kings would come, and it was from Levi that God would raise up the priests. The sons of Levi and the sons of Judah were prohibited from intertribal marriage, so no one—even the Messiah it seemed, could become both a priest and a king.

Hebrews 7
Another thousand years go by and the writer of the book of Hebrews explains the whole thing with clarity. He is seeking to explain how Jesus can serve as the great high priest of the Christian faith even though he is from the tribe of Judah: “For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests” (Heb. 7:14).

The book of Hebrews goes to great lengths to explain that there was an earlier priestly order that precedes and trumps the tribe of Levi—the order of Melchizedek! He then tells us all the ways this priesthood is superior to the Levitical priesthood. There are three main reasons.

The Superiority of Melchizedek’s Priesthood

First, it is a permanent priesthood. The text says, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 7:17, emphasis mine). The Levitical priests always died and their priesthood expired and was passed on to someone else. But this priest, this messiah, was declared to be a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek! This permanence is even sealed with a divine oath: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’”

Second, Abraham tithed to him, not the other way around. According to Jewish law, everyone tithed to support the Levitical priesthood because the Levites were not given their own territory. But Abraham tithed to Melchizedek and since all of Abraham’s descendants are in his loins—in his body—then vicariously the entire tribe of Levi (Abraham’s great-grandson) was there, tithing in Abraham. The lesser always tithes to the greater, and so the whole Levitical priesthood, through Abraham, was tithing to the superior priesthood of Melchizedek.

Third, the priesthood of Melchizedek is greater than the Levitical priesthood because of the character of the two parties involved. The Levites were themselves sinners. They had to sacrifice for themselves before they could sacrifice for the sins of the people, just as ordained ministers receive Communion before they give it today. This is not merely symbolic solidarity, but the declaration that ministers and priests are also sinners. But Jesus was a priest without sin, and not because of some human ancestry or lineage, but because of the righteous indestructibility of his life!

Melchizedek is a type of Christ who demonstrates how Jesus Christ is both King and Priest. We have already celebrated how Christ is the second Adam, and here we see Christ as the Great High Priest. All the priests of the Old Testament were prefiguring this Great High Priest.

In Jesus Christ we have the complete fulfillment of the whole Jewish priesthood. Indeed, the whole priesthood prefigured the one true High Priest who was to come, Jesus Christ. In the old order, people had to confess their sins to a priest. But with Christ as our High Priest, we can boldly and directly enter into the glorious presence of God (Heb. 10:19–22). Jesus is the intermediary who stands in the gap and intercedes for us, representing us before God as our Great High Priest!

Hebrews: The Completed Work of Jesus

This week’s devotional is a video from a series called “Seven Minute Seminary” hosted by on Seedbed.com. This weeks video is entitled, What Is Atonement Doctrine? We hope this devotion encourages you this week.

Hebrews: Renewing A Commitment to Discipleship

This week’s devotional was written by Ken Schenck and is entitled, When It’s Time To Grow Up. Ken Schenck is a New Testament scholar and a contributing writer to seedbed.com. We hope this devotion encourages you this week.

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:11-14)

Understanding the Word

At this point, Hebrews interrupts its train of thought again to warn the church of its need to continue in faith. We have seen two of these interruptions so far. The first was at the beginning of chapter 2, after showing that Jesus was greater than the angels. The second was in Hebrews 3, after showing that Jesus was greater than Moses. Here, the author is in the middle of argument that Jesus is a greater priest than any earthly priest. Hebrews 5:11–6:8 is the strongest of all the warnings in this sermon. It seems significant that it is the mention of Jesus as High Priest that sparks this warning. Given the chapters that follow, it is very likely that one of the biggest reasons for the church’s doubt had to do with atonement. They just were not sure that Jesus had taken care of all their sins.

As we look back, it seems obvious that Jesus has taken care of our need for animal sacrifice. The Jewish temple has been gone for almost two thousand years. There has been no animal sacrifice among Jews for as many years. I have never seen an animal sacrifice and would have to travel to some obscure location in the world to find one. It is easy for me to believe that we need no temple or sacrifice any more.

But this was not the case at the time of the New Testament. The language in these verses is strong, even though the author will soften his tone in a moment. He was making a point in a strong, culturally appropriate way. It was appropriate rhetorically in the first century to overstate your case and move the audience in the right direction.

There is a little bit of shame in these words. The author told the audience that they should know better by then. They have been Christians for a long time. What was wrong with them? They should have been teaching such things by then. They should have known that they never needed to worry about atonement. Jesus had taken care of it. They did not need the temple in Jerusalem or the synagogue in town. Jesus paid it all.

Apart from these specifics, we learn from these verses that a Christian should grow spiritually over the years. Some Christians may struggle with certain temptations when they are young in faith. Some Christians may be troubled by lesser challenges when they first come to faith. But if we have been Christ-followers for a while, we should not still be struggling with the same temptations of our Christian infancy.

As we grow, we should be able to handle more significant challenges. And as we face them, we should find it easier and easier to overcome them. A pattern of complete surrender should become part of who we are. If twenty years later we are still where we were at first, then something is significantly wrong! In particular, we should be able to tell the difference between good and evil. We should be able to tell the difference between what is of the Holy Spirit and what is of the devil. It is not always the case, unfortunately

Questions for Reflection

  1. Have you grown since you first believed on Christ? Can you handle more opposition than at first? Is it easy to resist things that would have brought strong temptation before

  2. Can you see growth as a church over the years? Is there a core group of believers who have come for a long time and who collectively provide wisdom and strength for any challenge?

  3. Does the world outside your church see something different about your church that they don’t see in other places? Can they tell you are Christians by your love?

Hebrews: Guest Preacher - Mark Morrison

 
 

Every so often, we will have a guest speaker at CrossView Church. We are so grateful for the gifted women and men that serve the Lord through teaching the word. This week we hear from Pastor Mark Morrison. Pastor Mark serves as the director of Shepherd Ministries. You can find out more information about Shepherd Ministries here.

Usually, when we have a guest speaker, we will not have a weekly devotion. We encourage you to watch the message again at some point throughout the week and listen to the discussion podcast.

Blessings on you and your week.

Pastor Kyle