Read Hebrews 11:32-40

What can you say about a long catalog of strange names, followed be a list of all the troubles those people had? Why do we care, centuries later, that they quenched flames and escaped the sword? Some accepted martyrdom rather than deny their Lord. Can we learn anything?

Whether they escaped or were martyred, these persons are an enormous example and encouragement to us. They were people just like us. They started weak. They did not manufacture their own strength. God gave it to them. What’s the writer’s point? To encourage us. Their “weakness was turned to strength.” They did not escape persecution. But they went into it with the wind of God’s Spirit at their backs.

Shall we not follow their example? Don’t try to live life in your own strength. Paul speaks of such an active faith at least twice. He says we can do all things through Christ; we can be more than conquerors “through him who loved us” (Phil. 4:13; Rom. 8:37). Paul claimed victory in what looked like defeat to the world.

Nobody in this list lived to see his faith rewarded. They looked forward to Jesus’ coming just as we look back to it. God waited so that we could join with this great train of believers. Together they and we make God’s perfect whole. God fulfilled his promises to these who have gone before. Will he do less for us?

Read Hebrews 11:23-31

Suppose an order came from Washington, D.C., to kill all the baby boys of a particular race. How would you feel? That’s the situation Moses’ parents faced. The king of Egypt said to kill all the Hebrew boys less than two years of age (Exodus 1 and 2). Little Moses’ parents must have shared the revulsion of all parents. But they did not act from fear. “By faith,” the record says, they took bold action. Moses’ older sister spoke fearlessly as well. The Lord rewarded their faith, turning the situation around so that Moses’ own mother became a paid nurse to him (Exodus 2:7-9).

No doubt Moses was aware of why his people were slaves in Egypt. Probably he knew of the prophecies that they would leave Egypt some day. Faith is not irrational. It is belief in and knowledge of the person who makes the promise for the future. And God had promised. In faith Moses left Egypt, in faith he returned. He did not turn back because he did not look back. Moses’ attention was focused on God and what he could do in the future. The writer hints that Moses looked forward in faith even to Messiah.

Forty years go by between verses 27 and 28, and another forty years pass between verses 29 and 30. The entire chapter covers centuries. God does not change. Do we believe him as Moses and Rahab, the Gentile prostitute, did?

Read Hebrews 11:7-22

Faith is not to be confused with a warm, fuzzy feeling. In faith Noah built an ark on dry land, working in “holy fear” of unprecedented high water. By faith, he knew it was coming. Faith is not always easy. Abraham, trusting God, offered his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. Faith is an act of will, a conscious decision to believe God rather than people. When Abraham left home, he did not know where he was going. In faith he departed. What do you suppose his old friends in Ur said when they found out he had no destination? He had that two-story idea. The tents he lived in were temporary. Somewhere there was a permanent, glorious city built by God.

God doesn’t seem to dwell on the past. The writer lauds persons who looked to the future. Abraham was not alone in his faith. The generations of his family mentioned here—Isaac, Jacob, Joseph—didn’t live to see the promises fulfilled. But they died in faith believing a better country lay ahead, a heavenly one.

“I am going…to prepare a place for you,” Jesus said (John 14:2). Later, John, who heard Jesus speak those words, saw a vision of the city that is God’s creation and wrote of it. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth….the Holy City” (Rev. 21:1-2).

The persons named here would have understood both sayings. Their vision of faith included Messiah.

Read Hebrews 11:1-6

Is the writer taking time out from his book to include some biographical information that interests him? No, this chapter is an integral part of what he needs to say to make his case.

He has just gotten through instructing us to move forward in faith (Heb. 10:39). Now he illustrates the point.
If you think argument about creation is new, read these verses. Those of us who believe God created the universe are criticized for not being able to explain every last detail of how he did it. The writer assures us that we can never prove the whole thing. God created the universe out of nothing. I have no idea how he did it or how long it took in earth years. Scripture teaches that a thousand years are as a day to the Lord (Psalm 90:4).

If you believe that the old animal sacrifices foreshadowed Christ’s death as the once-for-all sacrifice for all human sin, you are not alone. The writer ticks off examples of faith chronologically, beginning with Abel, the fourth human being, Adam and Eve’s second son (Gen. 4:2). Here is a list of persons who, in faith, looked forward to the reality you have experienced. He begins with the classic definition of faith. He interrupts his list to repeat the same thought. Without being sure of what you hope for and certain of things you don’t see, you won’t get far with God.

Read Hebrews 10:32-39

Nobody knows to whom the book of Hebrews was originally written, except that those first readers were evidently Jewish. We learn here that they had suffered for their Christian witness. They were publicly insulted and had their property unlawfully seized. But notice what else these people did. They stood in solidarity with others who were mistreated, sympathizing with those in jail for their faith.

Although this is an appeal to memory, the thrust is forward. Only rarely should we look back. What is the secret of their victory? It’s the book of Hebrews’ two-story view of life again. These Christians knew they had “better and lasting possessions.” Earthly belongings are not the real, permanent things. Our true possessions, of much greater worth, are the rewards found in heaven, at home forever with the Lord. The writer says, “Remember how you lived in the Lord’s victory during hardship before? Do it again. Don’t falter. Just a little while, and you will come out victorious.” Always he instructs us to be encouraged. He quotes the prophet Habakkuk who tells us not to look back in gloom, but forward to the Lord’s glorious return. The writer has moved from exhortation to warning to encouragement. We are enjoined to courage and joy in the face of trouble because of the hope of Christ’s second coming, and our eternal reward. Have courage, he says. The Lord could return at any time. Happy day!

Read Hebrews 10:26-31

God takes human sin seriously. People make jokes about doing wrong, but God doesn’t.

Why do people do wrong? Original sin, we say. Adam and Eve sinned, and we inherited the tendency. Well, yes, that’s true. What else? What lies behind greed, gossip, murder, stealing, and lying besides the inherent weakness of human nature? Selfishness? I want my way no matter what. I’m self-centered. I am the hub of my universe. Self-satisfaction? Do I consider myself wiser than God? I can run my life quite well, thank you. I don’t need God’s help. Besides, he might ask me to do something I don’t want to do. Or we may believe the devil’s lie that we must run our own lives because God does not really have our best interests at heart. When we believe that, we are forgetting that God died to deliver us from our sins. He loves us and wants the very best for us or he would not have bothered.

God loves us, but sometimes even he is powerless to save us from ourselves. Not wanting robots bobbing up and down before him rather than true, voluntary worship, he made us with something called free will. We can turn away from God if we want to. Only trouble is, if we do that, finally God will have no choice but to say, “Sorry, I cannot admit you to a heavenly home. You turned it down long ago.”

Read Hebrews 10:19-25

Have you ever wanted to go someplace where you weren’t allowed? The oval office at the White House? A space ship? If you suddenly heard that the place was open, would you be scared? But would you go?

The immediate presence of God was closed to mankind through long centuries. Now abruptly the way is open. The writer portrays the curtain hiding the Most Holy Place as Christ’s body. That literal curtain split when Christ died (Matt. 27:51), a sign that through his broken body everyone has access to God. Christ’s death opened God’s immediate presence to all of us. “Draw near,” the writer urges. “The way is open, don’t miss life’s greatest opportunity.” What qualities do you need to go into a strange, new place? Confidence? Assurance that anyone you meet there is welcoming and trustworthy? The writer reassures us. Don’t be faint hearted. God has promised to receive us and he is faithful. Our part is sincerity of heart, acting in faith, never swerving from our hope.

Having made his point, the author quietly moves from teaching us about Christ’s atoning death to practical Christian living. Care about each other, he says. Be sure to attend church regularly. Encourage each other. These are all cures for depression. He sounds almost like Paul talking about faith, hope, and love. Perhaps someone’s tongue-in-cheek translation of Psalm 37:3 sums it up: “Trust in the Lord, and do something nice for somebody.”

Read Hebrews 10:1-18

When someone keeps repeating himself, what do you conclude? Either he is mentally incompetent or he has something of extreme importance to say.

The second option seems to apply here. This passage is the summary and climax of the writer’s message. Notice how many basic doctrines of Christianity he presents in a short space. He reminds us of the inadequacy of the Law. It can never deliver us from our sins. Enter Jesus, the willing sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Christ, as high priest, offers the perfect sacrifice. He emphasizes to us again that Christ’s death and resurrection is a finished work. We need not expect, nor do we need, anything more to rid us of bondage to sin. He mentions the doctrine of Christ’s second coming. He reminds us of the priesthood of all believers.

The passage the writer quotes from Psalm 40 may indicate Jesus’ own attitude toward his divine mission. He says to his Father, “Here I am…I have come to do your will.” He made an offering once for all. Then he sat down. His task was complete. What he did fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy, also quoted. This is an internal change for the believer. God’s laws can now be written on our hearts bringing a peace of conscience never possible under the old sacrifices. God, for his part, remembers our sins no more. Praise be to God!

Read Hebrews 9:23-28

Nobody repeats death. We die once. Then we stand before God in judgment to give account. Make no mistake. We won’t be back. Perhaps for those whose religious tradition teaches reincarnation with its endless lives, the Christian teaching of only one life is at once fearsome and a welcome relief.
These verses summarize what the author has said before, emphasizing again Jesus’ dual roles as high priest and sacrifice. He adds two new facts. We have heard before, several times, in fact, that Jesus entered the presence of God the Father taking with him his own blood as a once-for-all sacrifice for our sins. The author adds here that Christ entered God’s presence specifically for us. He stands before the Father to plead our cause.

The other new idea is a startling contrast to our human experience. Unlike us, Christ will return to earth. He will no longer be a sin-bearer. He will come to reign as King over his waiting people, those who have repented and trusted him as savior.

On the Day of Atonement the high priest in ancient Israel laid aside his magnificent robes. Dressed in plain white linen he entered the Most Holy Place. He put on his robes again before reappearing to the people. So Jesus laid aside his splendor and clothed in a man’s body came to earth to make atonement for our sins. He will return some day, resplendent King of Glory.

Read Hebrews 10:26-31

God takes human sin seriously. People make jokes about doing wrong, but God doesn’t.

Why do people do wrong? Original sin, we say. Adam and Eve sinned, and we inherited the tendency. Well, yes, that’s true. What else? What lies behind greed, gossip, murder, stealing, and lying besides the inherent weakness of human nature? Selfishness? I want my way no matter what. I’m self-centered. I am the hub of my universe. Self-satisfaction? Do I consider myself wiser than God? I can run my life quite well, thank you. I don’t need God’s help. Besides, he might ask me to do something I don’t want to do. Or we may believe the devil’s lie that we must run our own lives because God does not really have our best interests at heart. When we believe that, we are forgetting that God died to deliver us from our sins. He loves us and wants the very best for us or he would not have bothered.

God loves us, but sometimes even he is powerless to save us from ourselves. Not wanting robots bobbing up and down before him rather than true, voluntary worship, he made us with something called free will. We can turn away from God if we want to. Only trouble is, if we do that, finally God will have no choice but to say, “Sorry, I cannot admit you to a heavenly home. You turned it down long ago.”