Hebrews, Chapter 4

It is appropriate that I get to writing about the fourth chapter of Hebrews on the Monday morning after a weekend, as this chapter deals with rest and what that rest will mean for the people of God. In this context the author is referring to rest as salvation in God. It is a great reward that I know I am looking forward to. With the pace of the world the way it is today I know that I savor the opportunity to rest and unplug from everything. Just this past weekend I knew it was a busy weekend as I had tickets to both the Purdue-Notre Dame game and the Colts game on Sunday, but to me it was an opportunity to rest because these are things I love doing. Both are very relaxing and a source of stress relief, so I view them as rest. Now imagine how much we can look forward to in the rest that Christ promises through His salvation.

"1Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. 3Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world." – Hebrews 4:1-3

The author here is referring to our own promised land, and that is the salvation promised by the blood of Christ. This is the reward I look forward to on many days when I just can't take this world anymore. We also see that the author warns that even those who have the gospel preached to them may not enter this rest. Just because we have heard the Message of Christ does not mean we will automatically receive Him. We must also accept the message and not disobey so that we don't harden our hearts.

"6It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." – Hebrews 4:6-7

So what does it mean then to rest from our own work, as it says a few verses later? Well, this means that we can rest from trying to gain our own salvation as it is promised in Christ's message. Once we accept it we don't have to gain salvation anymore. We have already found that which we are seeking, and we must allow his Word to penetrate us to our cores.

"12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." – Hebrews 4:12-13

Not only is the Word of God beautiful by promising rest through salvation, it is life-altering when we allow it to penetrate us. If we truly accept the Message then we are changed from the inside out. What was once important becomes unimportant. We are held accountable for every second of our lives, but at the same time our lives then have purpose because we have Christ in them. As we see in the final few verses Jesus knew what it was like to be human. He knew what it was like to be tempted and live with the heart of man, but He was able to resist and become the mediator for us. Though His word cuts through our hearts and we are held accountable for all we do because of the Word, we are still made perfect in His sight through Christ.

TODAY's QUESTIONS:

1. What is your definition of rest?
   
2. Who do you know in your life whose heart has hardened even though they have heard the message?
   
3. How can we reach those whose hearts have hardened?

Hebrews, Chapter 3

Yesterday we saw the dramatic dichotomy of Jesus being both fully God and fully man. We also have been concentrating quite a bit lately on the benefits of believing in Him and trusting our lives to Him, but what about the alternative? What happens if we choose not to live our lives by faith and instead practice unbelief? That is the warning in Chapter three of Hebrews. In the context of the day the author was still trying to reach the Jews who held Moses in such high esteem, but as we know Christ is greater than Moses, something that flew in the face of everything the Jews believed.

"3Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. 6But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast." – Hebrews 3:3-6

This is just a great comparison of Jesus and Moses and shows what place both served. Both played huge roles in the Bible (in the case of Jesus, duh) and were instrumental in shaping the faith of a people. Once again though, we see that Jesus is set up as the master. It is important that the author continued to state this fact as he was breaking down the traditions and beliefs of his day and setting up newer, better ones.

"12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. – Hebrews 3:12-13"

Look at how these verses supports verses 8 through 11 above them. Those verses are taken from Psalm 95 and reflect the state of the Israelites in the time of Moses. How are we to believe that Moses is greater than Christ when he rules in a time of such rebellion, but we are promised that faith in Christ will lead eventually to peace? Moses was unable to lead them to the rest that God had promised, but Christ is able to lead us to that rest.

What is the danger of unbelief, however? Well, as it says here in Hebrews, the danger is that our hearts can become hardened and we can turn ourselves away from God if we wait too long. We are warned here not to wait when we feel the pull of God on our hearts. This is true even if we have already committed our lives to Christ because we are still capable of being stubborn and unbelieving. If we hear God's call on our hearts it behooves us to react according to what that calling may be.

When I was getting ready to start college I had a choice to make. I felt that God was calling me to a life of working in the communications field, specifically sports writing and broadcasting, because it is something I had always wanted to do. I had always wanted to go to Purdue University as well, mostly because it is where my father went to school and because of its sports teams. If you know colleges, however, it is not the best for this type of work. When I was a senior in high school I had a great offer to attend another school, Bradley University, with most of my tuition paid for due to academic scholarships. This school was perfect for what I wanted to go in to, but I became stubborn. For various reasons I turned this offer and ended up at Purdue as an athletic training major. This major lasted all of three weeks for me as it became clear once I got there that it was not what God wanted of me. I remained at Purdue for four years and graduated with a degree in Communications and TV production, but I missed out on getting it from a better program.

My heart was hardened and I didn't believe, but God used it for good anyway. While there he turned me on to writing, and I was able to minor in creative writing. These classes started a spark that has led me to my passion of writing, even though I know I was lucky. I wish now I had not ignored God's call on my heart because it has cost me a lot, but I thankful I did not hear it too late.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. Why is it important to compare Christ to Moses?
   
2. Is it possible to still believe and unharden your heart?
   
3. What value is there in trusting in God fully the first time?

Hebrews, Chapter 2

I love the second chapter of Hebrews because it provides the most vivid description and interaction of Jesus' human and Godly elements that we have discussed here to date. I love how the author begins things with a warning, as if to say, "Hey, we've talked about this before and stuff is happening right now that you really need to be aware of." Have you ever gotten his feeling in your life? It's a feeling that no matter how innocuous the moment may seem, there is a little niggling in the back of your mind saying, "Pay attention! Important stuff is happening!"

"2For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." Hebrews 2:2-4

This tells us that the coming of Jesus was not some unexpected miracle from the heavens. God let us know centuries in advance that He was sending his Son in order to save us all. It should not have come as a shock but in a way it still did because I don't think we can ever fully grasp the concept of our own world, yet Christ came to save all of it. At the same time, He was a man just like you or me. During his time on earth he put on his pants (or more likely, his robe) like anyone else in the morning. This is where the dichotomy really begins to be explained a little.

"7You made him a little
lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor 8 and put everything under his feet." In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. 9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers." – Hebrews 2:7-11

 

That is a much longer piece of Scripture than I usually single out here, but I had to take all of it because it illustrates the point of Christ being fully human and fully God so well. The last section of the chapter also does a fantastic job of this and I urge you to read it on your own. The part here about being made a little lower than the angels refers to the human nature of Christ. Immediately after that though we see that He is crowned with glory and that everything is placed under His feet. Even though He had this glory He still suffered unto death like we must do. He did so however to bring us glory. Because of this we are considered brothers and sisters with Christ.

 

"16For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for
the sins of the people." – Hebrews 2:16-17

 

What can I possibly add to God's word here? Verse 17 completely explains both sides of Jesus; His humanity and His pure, perfect, Godly form. This is God Himself acting as a mediator on our behalf. He had to suffer and die on the cross to make perfect our salvation, not Himself. His sacrifice was not just some great spiritual atonement He had to complete either. It was done in order to identify with us and see our need for salvation. It was done in order to communicate God's love to us on a personal, base level. I really can't add anything else to that.

 

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

 

1. How is God asking you to pay attention to something happening in your life right now?
   
2. What is our responsibility as brothers and sisters with Christ in the family of God?
   
3. What role does Abraham and the promise God made to him play here?
   

Hebrews, Chapter 1

Hebrews is a 13 chapter pep talk for the soul. That's really the best way to describe it. We're not really sure who wrote is, as my Study Bible lists possible authors as Paul, Barnabas, Luke, or Apollos, but the writer's intent in this letter is to provide support for the struggling new Christian. While the support was directed at Christians who were facing persecution and were reverting back to the Old Testament ways because of when it was written, once again that amazing nature of the Bible shows that its words can be relevant today.

The first chapter deals solely with the superiority of Christ. It is important to remember that these Christians were still somewhat hesitant to fully embrace the divinity of Christ. To them He was still somewhat of a polarizing figure and they were still trying to compare him to the old covenant through the Old Testament. As we learned throughout the last four books we discussed here in this blog though, the old covenant was washed away with the blood of Christ. He now stands superior in its place.

"3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs." – Hebrews 1:3-4

I know recently I have put a lot of emphasis on the human characteristics of Jesus, but let us not forget that He was fully God at the same time. For as much as He lowered Himself to come to earth and die for our sins, he was that much higher than everything else in creation including the angels. He was God personified and placed into a human body, but at the same time he was and still is bigger than we can possibly imagine. He had human nature when He was in human form as well as His divine nature.

So what is the role of the angels then? Well, we see here in the first chapter of Hebrews that they are indeed subordinate to Christ, but they still play a very important role in the spiritual hierarchy. Even as we are to worship Christ and his divinity so are the angels even though they were created before man and still are above man by being in the physical presence of God.

"6And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him." 7In speaking of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire." 8But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom." – Hebrews 1:6-8

We see here that the angels serve an important role as ministering servants. Think of them as behind the scenes workers at a TV show that don't get the glory of being seen on camera, but the show could not be done without them. They offer protection, guidance, ministering, and watch over God's people. They also can dole out judgment to the wicked, all while honoring and praising God. They are strong spiritual beings and those in both Old and New Testament times interacted with them and sometimes even worshipped them. This is why the author writes to show Christ's superiority because even though these angels were powerful beings, they were still subordinate to Christ.

So you may ask where that put mankind in the grand scheme of things. Well, think about this for a second. We're below the angels, who are always in the presence of God, yet God loved us so much He came to earth in the form of a man (that is Jesus) in order to die for our sins so that we can be with Him. This is not something He had to do, but He chose to do it out of His love for us. He had the angels to honor and glorify Him as they are already righteous, but God chose to simplify things with Christ in order to make righteousness available to us. This is something we will discuss more as we get deeper into the book of Hebrews, but for now just concentrate on the Godly characteristics of Christ.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. What role did the angels have before Christ?
   
2. If Christ is the mediator between us and God why does He still need angels?
   
3. How did God achieve being fully God and fully man in Christ is man is naturally fallable?

Colossians, Chapter 4

We finally come to the end of our journey of eating potato chips with God as we reach Colossians 4 today. While it is a short chapter filled with many personal greetings and wishes from Paul to others in the church, it still has value and we can still learn from it. What we can learn from it is Paul's attitude of servanthood carried on even through his imprisonment. Here was someone totally committed to the cause of Christ and the mission of the gospel, and we see his commitment even in his instructions to others.

"2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." Colossians 4:2-5

Prayer is a powerful tool. Look at what is accomplished for Paul during his imprisonment. He had only prayer and some paper to write on and he ended up writing most of the New Testament. This is still around today as a guide to not only salvation but as kind of a "How to be a Christian 101." I believe fully in the power of prayer and that it can accomplish everything, as I have seen times in my life when all I could do was pray and hope God could figure it all out for me. The beauty of prayer is that it doesn't have to be thoughtful and flowery. I t can be a mere conversation with god as if He is sitting next to you. I have had this experience many times on late nights driving home from covering a basketball game for my newspaper job. On these nights I simply sit and talk to God like He's in the passenger seat next to me. This is how simple prayer can be and we cannot shirk our responsibility for it. Remember the four beats of the spirit? Prayer was one of the four key beats and we cannot forget it.

"18I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you." – Colossians 4:18

This is such a short verse to end our study of Colossians on, but it is so powerful because Paul is telling us such an important message here. He is not asking us to remember his physical chains and pity him for his imprisonment. Instead he is asking that we remember His servitude for Christ and that we must take up the same attitude in order to spread the good news of the message of Christ. Paul knew that he could never accomplish his mission alone, as he needed the help of not only Christ, but other believers in the church. How did he know his letters would be delivered once he wrote them? It's not like he dropped them off at the post office and delivered them priority mail to Colosse.

We must have this attitude of servanthood in our own lives as I stated before. Once we begin our faith in Christ we begin our own form of bondage because much is expected of us in that walk. Some will pay more than others, but all must work to further the kingdom of God. My chains are this blog and using the gift of writing that God gave me to spread His message. Others are called to teach. Some are called to be missionaries all over the world. Whatever your calling is pursue it passionately, as this is what God wants and You will be happiest in doing so. How else do you explain Paul finding joy while in prison?

To those of you who have been here during the entire walk of Eating Potato Chips with God I thank you. I pray the words God has given me to write have done His work and have been useful to you. Next up I will be tackling another book in the New Testament I have been compelled to study closely of late and that is the book of Hebrews. I hope you'll come back and please forward this on to others.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. What has prayer accomplished in your life?
   
2. How strong is your prayer life and what is your conversation with God like?
   
3. In what form do you feel the chains God is placing you in take in your everyday walk?

Colossians, Chapter 3

On the surface the third chapter of Colossians appears to simply be a repeat of some of the topics we discussed earlier in our journey of eating potato chips with God. When I first re-read this I was thinking that God was merely repeating the same thing and that Paul had made a mistake by writing the same letter to the Colossians as he did the Philippians and such. As I went through the guided questions in my study Bible though, I saw that God does not make mistakes. If it's in the Bible a second third, or fourth times it's probably because it is something rather important we need to pick up on. Since chapter three begins with rules for Holy living I would say that those are pretty important.

"5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." Colossians 3:5-10

This is a given and has been clearly stated before, but how do we avoid the trap of simply saying, "easier said than done," and glossing over the parts that we do not want to fix? That is part of our sinful nature in itself, because it is our selfishness and even lack of faith coming through when we quit trying give something up. It takes the work of God in our hearts to truly get through these things. It is stronger than we in our own capacity can resist, but Christ's nature in our hearts can overcome it. One thing I must learn is that this nature takes time. I have already seen what the Nature and love of Christ in my heart can overcome when it comes to succumbing to earthly natures, but I also see that I still have a very long way to go.

"12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." – Colossians 3:12-14

Personally, this one kicked me in the teeth this morning. I know in my life I have long dealt with trying to forgive totally. At times it has been easy to forgive other, but not myself. Other times the exact opposite is true because I have been able to get over my own actions quickly, but the actions of others who wronged me have sat and smoldered on my heart. I am not going to take credit for the four steps that are listed in how to do deal with this, as they come from the study section of my Quest Study Bible, but they did come out as an example of how God's word speaks to you when you need it most.

First, forgiveness requires us to surrender our right to get even. Second, Forgiveness takes time. Third, Forgiving doesn't require forgetting. On this point it elaborates that it is nearly impossible to forget, but we must detoxify the memory so it does not poison our thoughts. Finally, forgiving is expected, because as it says in verse 13, we must forgive as we have been forgiven.

This was one of those personal moments where I felt God slapped me in the face with His word, because much of the bitterness I have felt in my heart lately comes from an inability to properly forgive. Some memories of things I have forgiven on the surface still simmer below and remain toxic in my heart. I recognize that I still need time to heal in many ways, whether that healing comes because of mistakes I have made, or mistakes others made in regard to me. While verse 13 asks us to forgive look at what verse 14 asks. It asks to put on love, which binds everything together. Forgiveness is love, but both are very difficult to learn. These are things that I fully admit Christ still needs to work in me.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. Is it possible in this life to rid ourselves of all the things in verses five through nine?
   
2. If it is not possible to do so, then why must we try?
   
3. Why is overcoming our own nature even with the help of Christ one of the hardest things to do?

Colossians, Chapter 2

There seems to be a contrast between Philippians and Colossians as far as the way the message of Christ's love and sacrifice is presented. In Philippians we saw how Christ's humility was a key character trait and that we need to emulate it in our own lives. Colossians seems to concentrate more on the message of Christ's love and what exactly His sacrifice on the cross accomplished. Both are critical lessons that we must learn. Here in the second chapter of Colossians Paul also touches once again on the fact that when Christ came to earth the very rules of mankind were changed. In all this Paul continues to drive home Christ's love and passion for all of us.

"8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. 9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority." – Colossians 2:8-10

Many of Paul's letters were written in order to combat false teachings that were prevalent in the areas to which the letters were written. In the case of Colossians the church in Colosse there were still people teaching that salvation was obtained through either superior knowledge or through strict following of the law. As was a problem in many places, it wasn't enough that you believed in Christ, you had to follow Jewish law and be circumcised as well. WE saw this back in our study of the book of Galatians, and here in Colossians Paul uses circumcision as a metaphor. This metaphor shows once again just how much Christ changes our lives drastically when we accept His gift and sacrifice.

"13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." Colossians 2:13-15

We were once dead, but now we are alive in Christ. I love how Paul gets to the heart of the issue right here and makes it very plain what Christ's sacrifice on the cross accomplished. We also see that this sacrifice washes away all our own petty human regulations and places just one important one in charge, and that is the authority and power of Christ's blood. Though I have been blessed with the gift of writing I feel I cannot add a single word of meaning to the words Paul wrote above.

"20Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings." – Colossians 2:20-22

When we get so caught up in following the rules and regulations set before us we become disconnected from the main purpose of the church, and that is spreading the message of Christ. My wife grew up Catholic, and I know one of the biggest things that turned her away from that path and on to a more personal relationship with Christ is that very fact. She was unimpressed, and even bored with the Catholic church because of its strict adherence to rules and regulations instead of just sticking to the message. It does not matter that you say the same liturgy over and over again if there is no meaning behind it! All these rules and rituals are still based in humanity, which as we know falls woefully short of the glory of God.

Christ is the center, and nothing else. No tradition, no liturgy, no combination of words said or ritual done can bring us closer to Christ than a deep, personal relationship with Him based on faith. Remember, it was once illegal for the common man to even read the Bible, as it was limited only to the clergy, yet we see here that we are to form out own relationship with Christ. That is what is clearly stated here in Colossians, and we have Paul to thank for clearing this up.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. How can we mesh human traditions with the fullness of love we have been given in Christ?
   
2. What powers and authorities were disarmed on the cross?
   
3. Can human commands and teaching still play a role in a relationship with Christ, simply because the Bible comes from human hands and minds?