My Morning Meal

There are some things, which I have done over the course of my life, that I would just as soon forget ever happened . . . in fact, things I’d just as soon not even remember that I want to forget. Dumb moves . . . selfish acts . . . words better left unsaid . . . anger that should have been checked . . . wrongs for which “sorry” doesn’t seem enough. Even as I write this list, I cringe with memories I wish I never possessed. Those “things” are sins, iniquities, transgressions . . . the memories are embarrassment and shame. But it’s in that inventory, which I’d just as soon forget, that I’m reminded that, though I might remember them, the God of the new covenant does not.

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, . . . I will put My laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. . . . they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.    (Hebrews 8:8-12 ESV)

Throughout the previous chapters of Hebrews, Jesus been portrayed as better in so many ways. Better than the angels . . . greater than Moses . . . possessing a better priesthood . . . engaged in a better ministry. And at the heart of it all are better promises . . . a new and better covenant.

In the passage I’m reading this morning, the writer to the Hebrews quotes from Jeremiah 31 . . . the prophetic promise of a new dynamic by which God and the people He desires as His own are brought into lasting fellowship. A covenant not dependent on the performance of men and women but based solely on the determined will and abundant grace of God. A covenant where “He will” because, in our own power, we can’t. And at the foundation of this new dynamic is the determination of the Holy God of Heaven to remember sins no more.

Not that they are ignored . . . or glossed over. But that He has determined in His great love to atone for them . . . to pay the price Himself for them . . . through the offering of His Son . . . through the Son’s offering of Himself . . . the Lamb of God, come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). God no longer remembers my sin because His Son has born the judgment for it on Calvary’s cruel cross. The All-Knowing God can determine to no longer know my darkness because He knows that, by faith, I have been brought into marvelous light . . . that, by faith, I have availed myself of His abundant grace. And in that, He purposes that “I will remember their sins no more.”

I read in Isaiah this morning that the love which provides deliverance has “cast all my sins behind Your back” (Isa. 38:17). Though I might reflect on my past through the filter of my transgressions, my God has removed that filter from His gaze . . . putting it behind Himself . . . and looking upon me, instead, through the filter of the righteousness of Christ . . . or as the old song puts it, “. . . when He looks at me, He sees not what I used to be, but He sees Jesus!”

Though I might remember, He has determined to remember no more. Thought I might feel shame, I need not feel guilt, for “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).

O’ praise God . . . for the new covenant . . . for the better promises. Blessed be the Son of God . . . who, through His shed blood, has washed away every sin — past, present, and future — and lives forever to make intercession for us that we might be “saved to the uttermost.” And thanks be to the Spirit of God . . . who illuminates His word . . . inscribing it upon our hearts . . . transforming us through the renewing of our minds.

Yeah, there are some things I’d just as soon forget ever happened. But then there are things, such as the promises and grace of God, that I will desire to ponder anew, with awe and amazement, for eternity.

To Him be all glory!

For seven chapters the argument has been consistent. For seven chapters the evidence has been presented. For seven chapters the implications have been explained. And then, in Hebrews 8, the writer clearly, and succinctly, states the point. And, frankly, something’s wrong if the point doesn’t lead to some praise.

Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a High Priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a Minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.    (Hebrews 8:1 ESV)

First, Jesus is “such a High Priest.” What kind of high priest? It’s right there in the preceding verses. A priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. He is the King Priest of the Most High God. He is the Priest of Judah, superior to the priests of Levi. The Son of God is the Priest who continues forever, thus possessing a permanent priesthood. A holy, innocent, unstained, sinless Priest who had no need to offer up sacrifice for Himself, but, instead, offered up Himself as the sacrifice for those He came to ransom and rescue. He is the perfect and eternal High Priest. (7:15-28)

And this forever Priest is seated. Unlike the priests of old who were constantly on their feet slicing and dicing animals and offering them as temporary atonement for sin, the sacrificial work of Christ is finished. The offering of the Lamb of God was once for all . . . the blood shed at Calvary sufficient to cleanse all people through all time of all sin. He who knew no sin was made sin for us . . . forsaken of the Father . . . the wrath of God we deserved being poured out on Him . . . that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2Cor. 5:21). It is finished! As such, such a High Priest is seated.

Though seated, He is not idle. But He is “a Minister in the holy places.” His ministry? The continuing service of the Son of God on behalf of those He came to redeem? “He always lives to make intercession for them” . . . that they might be saved “to the uttermost” (7:24). The Shepherd knows His sheep . . . the Bridegroom’s passionate desire is to make ready His bride . . . the Bread of Life desires to fill His people to the full . . . that Light of the world determines to lead those who would trust Him out of darkness . . . and so, He ministers on our behalf. We experience His eternal mediation through His blessed Spirit . . . the Father “experiences” the mediation via His ever-present Son . . . the High Priest ministering on our behalf.

And He is the ever “present” Son. He is “at the right and of the throne of Majesty” . . . He is in heaven . . . in the real holy of holies . . . the true tabernacle, not constructed and set up by men, but fashioned by God Himself . . . the Lord’s presence defining that place which is most holy ground. That’s what the empty tomb screams . . . “He is not here, He is risen!” That is what the filling of the Spirit assures us of . . . that we have the Comforter, because He has ascended and gone to the Father. That is why, when we, by faith, strain to behold Him who is altogether lovely . . . when we desire to worship Him who is alone worthy . . . that is why we turn our faces heavenward. That is where our High Priest is ministering on our behalf.

And that’s the final facet of “the point”. He is our High Priest. For those who, by faith, have believed the good news of God’s love for mankind . . . who, by faith, have received the shed blood of Christ as the atoning sacrifice for their sin . . . who, by faith, have believed the promise and received Him as Savior and Lord . . . for us, He is our High Priest. Seated because His work for us is complete . . . interceding continuously for us because “this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given Me, but raise it up on the last day” (John 6:39). The “Lamb in the midst of the throne,” our Shepherd who will guide us to springs of living water . . . who will lead us to that day when “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:17).

We have such a High Priest! That’s the point! Are we feeling the praise yet?

O’ what a Savior! . . . amen?

There’s any number of things which someone might start only to have someone else finish. It’s the exception, rather than the rule, that a baseball pitcher will go all nine innings. Often, whether ahead or behind in the game, the starter will, at some point, end up in the dug out watching as another closes out the game. If the medical training I’ve received from watching too many re-runs of M*A*S*H is trustworthy, often surgeons, after having performed a delicate operation, will have someone else close up for them. But, praise God, such is not the case with our salvation. He who redeemed us . . . and “began a good work” in us (Php. 1:6) . . . is also the One who has determined to be our Closer.

Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.    (Hebrews 7:25 ESV)

He who introduced a better hope (7:19) . . . He who is the guarantor of a better covenant (7:22) . . . He who is of the order of a better priesthood (6:20) . . . is He who is able to save to the uttermost . . . to save completely . . . to save entirely . . . to save eternally.

Saved to the uttermost . . . let that flow from your lips a couple of times and see if the worship wheel doesn’t start turning!

And the “uttermost-ness” of our salvation isn’t because we “can take it from here.” It’s not like He paid the price . . . and provided us the power . . . now it’s up to us to bring it home. Uh, uh! Nor has He left it to someone else, a parent . . . a pastor . . . or any other person, to “close out” the work He begun. Instead, He lives forever to intercede before the Father on our behalf. He’s our Closer.

He is my Closer because of the permanence of His priesthood. As He who has defeated death, “He holds His priesthood permanently, because He continues forever” (7:23-24). It is resurrection power that fuels the eternal sufficiency of His sacrificial work. The empty tomb is my assurance that He who died for me, now lives to intercede for me . . . that He who betrothed me to Himself, is now alive making ready His wedding feast . . . that He who has adopted me into the Family, is even now preparing a place for me that I might be where He is . . . that, in the meantime, He who knows my every weakness, is, even now, praying for me.

He is my Closer because of the purity of His priesthood. The One who prays for me does so at the right hand of the throne of God . . . having entered beyond the holy of holies as One who is Himself “holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners” (7:26b). Because He is without sin, not only was He able to be offered as the Lamb of God as the once for all sacrifice for my sin, but He is also uniquely qualified to act as the Mediator between man and God. Having known the reality of our mess but being Himself undefiled, He dwells amidst the heavenly and holy throne of God bringing His people before their God.

Finally, He is my Closer because of the preeminence of His priesthood. The writer to the Hebrews says that my High Priest is “exalted above the heavens” (7:26c). He has been given the highest place of honor (NLT) . . . occupying a chair that is higher and loftier than the heavens themselves. There is no higher name of authority than that of my beloved High Priest . . . He who lives to make intercession for me.

There’s a lot of things that someone can start only to have someone else finish. Our salvation, however, is not one of those things. He who began the good work has promised to complete it . . . He who has brought us “safe thus far” has promised to “lead us home” . . . He who saved us, will Himself save us to the uttermost.

He is our Closer . . . to Him be glory alone!

We all need it from time to time . . . a place where we can go to recoup . . . firm ground where we can get our feet back under us . . . a safe haven . . . a sure foundation. Whether it’s part of our regular cadence, such as nightly respite after a long day or, a place of refuge to flee to when enemies attack, I’m thinking everyone, at some point . . . on some interval . . . needs to touch base with a place where they can escape the barrage . . . and refuel the tank . . . and recalibrate their GPS. For the believer, one of those places is found in the promises of God. As the writer to the Hebrews reminds me this morning, there we have a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul.

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf . . .    (Hebrews 6:17-20a ESV)

In Hebrews, the author is reminding his readers of a better way . . . founded on a better Person . . . on the basis of a better covenant . . . established by a better work . . . laying before them a better hope. But, though the way is better . . . the way isn’t easy. A lot of pressure to turn back . . . pressure from past tradition . . . pressure from present people and circumstance . . . pressure from future uncertainty. And so, these believers are encouraged to keep the faith . . . and patiently persevere . . . that they might “inherit the promises” (6:12).

The promises of God . . . in them lie the sure and steadfast anchor for the soul.

Promises founded in the “unchangeable character of His purpose” or, as the NKJV renders it, “the immutability of His counsel.” Immutable . . . that’s the theological term. Our God is immutable . . . unchanging . . . “with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). And, as such, His purposes are immutable . . . fixed . . . unalterable. And so, God’s promises, based on God’s purposes, can be counted on. They too are without derivation . . . and thus, they become “the hope set before us” . . . a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul.

An anchor for the soul . . . a hope that enters behind the curtain into the holy presence of God Almighty Himself. The promises being that safe place, that sure place. God’s covenant providing a reliable foundation though the ground may tremble around us . . . providing a secure fortress sufficient to protect from the enemy’s assault . . . a refueling center when we we’re running on empty and think we are about spent.

Promises finding their fulfillment, ultimately, in the Person and the work of God’s blessed Son . . . our Mighty Savior . . . our Glorious Lord . . .

For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory.    (2Corinthians 2:20 ESV)

God’s purposes . . . God’s promises . . . God’s precious Son having paved the way. Our patience . . . our perseverance . . . enabled by God’s precious grace through the power of His Holy Spirit.

That’s the place of respite . . . that’s our firm foundation . . . that’s our sure and steadfast anchor for the soul.

Amen?

Our men’s study group will be firing up soon . . . our plan, Lord willing, is to work our way through Hebrews over the next 9 months, or so. That it’s on my reading plan now is good reconnaissance for what’s ahead of us. No doubt, the discussion on these first verses of Hebrews 6 will be interesting. Bottom line . . . I’d understand those who “have fallen away” after having “once been enlightened” to be those who the Spirit has brought to the point of salvation . . . yet have rejected it. They are those on whom “the rain has fallen,” but willfully refuse to bow the knee, and so, bear thorns and thistles . . . a worthless crop fit only for incineration (Heb. 6:4-8).

“Yet,” says the writer to the Hebrews, “in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things–things that belong to salvation.” (Hebrews 6:9 ESV)

That’s the realm of my meditation this morning . . . things that belong to salvation.

Those who are called “beloved” of God are those who have been shown a light which dispels the darkness . . . those who have tasted the living water of heaven . . . those who have encountered the Holy Spirit through His pre-conversion ministry of conviction of sin and of wooing the sinner to the Savior . . . those who have tasted the goodness of the word of God . . . those who have rubbed up against the power of the kingdom to come . . . and, unlike the apostate who rejects it, have received it by faith. And, having received it by faith, they have been planted in good soil, able and ready to produce much fruit. This being among the things that belong to salvation.

They are those who find themselves “serving the saints” (6:10). Their salvation being an entrance into a community of divine origin. The new birth bringing the redeemed into the family of God with brothers and sisters of every tribe and tongue and nation. The Holy Spirit taking the believer, equipping them as He determines, and joining them into the Body of Christ as a functioning member of the Body, called to build up others, even as they are built up, in their most holy faith. Doing life with the saints . . . serving one another . . . that too, is a facet of the things that belong to salvation.

They are those who diligently pursue the hope that is theirs, “until the end.” They know the Christian life is likened to a race. And they know that it’s not a sprint . . . not a “gimme” that can be completed without some holy determination and grit. The race is more like a marathon . . . perhaps closer to an iron-man triathlon . . . with many legs to the race . . . sometimes hitting the wall . . . but always pressing on for prize that waits before them. And so they earnestly and diligently, in full assurance, keep on keepin’ on (6:11). ‘Cause that’s one of the things that belong to salvation.

Finally, they are those who “through faith and patience inherit the promises” (6:12). They inherit the promises for today . . . that which assures them they can do all things through Christ who is their strength (Php. 4:13) . . . the experiential reality of a God who has committed that He will never leave or forsake them (Heb. 13:5) . . . the day-to-day abiding realization of His grace and power through the indwelling Spirit given to be their Helper (John 14:16). And, they are confident of the promises for tomorrow.  That tomorrow when the Bride is presented to her Bridegroom . . . when the marriage supper of the Lamb is celebrated . . . when the struggles of this world give way to the eternal blessings of the next. Can anyone say “Amen!” to these things that belong to salvation.

To be certain, there’s some controversy surrounding this passage . . . but, to be equally certain, there are some things that the believer can be assured of . . . the things that belong to salvation.

By His grace . . . for His glory . . .

As Jesus approached the end of His earthly ministry, His disciples were starting to get it . . . if not about the full scope of His work, then at least concerning the full nature of His person. They knew He was more than just another rabbi. And though some claimed He might be some kind of reincarnation of John the Baptist, or Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets, those who had spent time with Him were getting that He was someone greater than any of the prophets . . . that He was, in fact, “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:14-16). And with that, as He continued to teach them and train them, they gained a deeper understanding of the implications of what that meant. One such implication, fully realized in the upper room on the night Jesus was to be betrayed, was that He was omniscient.

Now we know that You know all things and do not need anyone to question You; this is why we believe that You came from God.   (John 16:30 ESV)

Omniscient . . . all knowing . . . an attribute of the Triune God. The Father knows all things . . . the Son knows all things . . . the Spirit knows all things.

So what’s grabbed me this morning is an assertion in the letter to the Hebrews describing what might seem at first to be an oxymoron . . . omniscient learning.

In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered.   (Hebrews 5:7-8 ESV)

The Christ, the Son of the living God . . . He who knows all things . . . learned obedience through what He suffered. The omniscient One gained knowledge . . . what does that mean?

To be sure, the mystery of the incarnation, God in flesh, is multi-faceted . . . one face of that diamond being that which the eternal Son of God would experience through “being born in the likeness of men” . . . of what He would “learn” experimentally of what it entailed to be “found in human form . . . becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Php. 2:7b-8).

Though I don’t fully comprehend it, the “infinitely wise and perfect Son of God” (a Zane Hodges phrase) gained an experiential knowledge about the human condition when He exchanged His eternal glory for flesh. As MacDonald says, “His entrance into this world as a Man involved Him in experiences which He would never have known had He remained in heaven.” As such, He experienced first hand the dynamic of obedience, though one is suffering . . . of being subject to the Father’s will in “Plan A” when everything in your flesh wants to try a “Plan B.” Though He cried out to the Father that the cup of death might pass from Him, yet He prayed, “Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). Though He could have called legions of angels to set Him free from the cruel cross (Matt. 26:53-54) . . . and avoid being made sin and thus forsaken of the Father . . . yet He fully experienced the strength of heaven as He determined on earth to do the will of the Father.  Omniscient learning . . . awesome!

And in doing so . . . in fully experiencing the weak properties of the flesh . . . I have a High Priest who is able to sympathize with my weaknesses . . . “One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). “For because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb. 2:18). Thank you, Lord!

Omniscient learning . . . a bit of a mystery . . . praise God, though, for the reality. To the Son be all glory! Amen?

It’s the difference, I think, between going through the motions or doing it with meaning . . . the difference between checking a box and pursuing a prize . . . the difference between a religion where you try to get by with doing just enough, and a reality which you pursue because you are among the jazzed. With a little bit of self discipline we can be mostly obedient most of the time. But, when what we do is fueled by what we have our eyes fixed on, then there is a power and practice that is, literally, from out of this world. That’s why the writer to the Hebrews exhorts his readers to “consider Jesus” (Heb. 3:1, 12:3).

This morning I came across two attributes that should mark the follower of Christ. The first is a tight grip on the faith we claim as our own. Believers should walk the talk . . . we should cleave to what we believe . . . we should show what we say we know. Ours is to hold fast to that which we have professed concerning our rebirth . . . our new creation in Christ . . . our heavenly calling. Our confession of faith is to be our catalyst for life.

Second, the writer to the Hebrews says that, for the believer, there should be a boldness before the presence of God. Not a brashness . . . not an arrogance . . . but a freedom, an openness, a drawing near to the most holy God with unreservedness. That, part of walking the talk is entering the most holy place . . . is approaching the throne of God . . . is coming before the Majesty on High. And while that place is the place of awe and reverence and worship, it is also the place where we find mercy and grace and that which we need in seasons of want.

Hold fast your confession . . . draw near with confidence. We can just kind of do it . . . or we can passionately pursue it. The difference in how and why we obey is driven by the degree to which we consider Jesus.

Since then we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.    (Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV)

We desire to hold fast our confession because we have a great High Priest. Our High Priest has offered the once for all sacrifice for sin’s atonement. Shedding His own precious blood on our behalf, He secured the way of redemption and reconciliation. Our High Priest, Jesus the risen Son of God, ascended, passing through the heavens, and is now at the right hand of God interceding for us (Rom. 8:34). As a shepherd knows his sheep by name (John 10:3), so my Shepherd speaks my name before the God of heaven . . . declaring me a child of God . . . supplicating for me and my needs.

And so, because I have such a High Priest . . . One who has put on flesh and understands my weakness . . . One who has been tempted and knows the power of the flesh and the persuasiveness of the enemy — YET WITHOUT SIN . . . because this is my High Priest, I have confidence to draw near to the the blessed throne of grace. I boldly draw near, not because of who I am, but because of who Jesus is. I prevail upon the God of heaven for much needed help, not because of what I have done, or can do, but solely because of what Jesus has done through the cross.

Confession and confidence . . . holding fast and drawing near. Less about carrying out a creed . . . all about considering the Christ.

By His grace . . . for His glory . . .

I have a favorite chair . . . actually I have two of them. They are the exact same chair . . . both rocker-recliners. One is situated in a good spot for watching television . . . the other, facing opposite the first, is the go to place if I want the best spot for listening to music. I enjoy settling into either of those chairs. They allow me to take a load off my feet . . . they invite me to lay back and stretch out . . . often, they usher me into an enjoyable power nap. They came to mind this morning as I considered another place of rest.

Hebrews 4 is an invitation to rest . . . and a warning against failing to enter that rest.

The warning is founded in the outcome of those who Moses led out of Egypt. God had provided great deliverance . . . they had all experienced it. God had also promised to bring them into “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:8), but they had problems believing it. And so, instead of entering the land, they refused because they didn’t think they were mighty enough to take it . . . nor did they believe that their God was trustworthy enough to be counted on to give it to them. And so, instead of entering the promised land of rest, they instead wandered in the desert, their bodies eventually falling in the wilderness. Simply said, “they were unable to enter because of unbelief” (Heb. 3:19).

God has provided another great deliverance . . . providing the means for the bondage of sin to be broken . . . making a way of escape from the slavery of this impossible to please, taskmaster world . . . having sent One greater than Moses to lead all who would follow Him into a promised kingdom . . . inviting all those who are weak and carry heavy burdens to know a rest He has provided. Says the writer to the Hebrews, “. . . the promise of entering His rest still stands” (4:1).

The rest is founded on the principle of a completed work. Just as God ceased from His labors on the seventh day, after six days of laying the foundation of the world, so too there is a rest available based on the promise of a finished work.

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His. (Hebrews 4:9-10 ESV)

I enter that rest when I no longer rely on my efforts to merit it. When I believe the good news that God, in His great love toward us, sent His Son to remove all the barriers of entering into His promised rest . . . that because of the finished work of the cross of Jesus, I need not spin my wheels in vain attempts to merit His acceptance . . . that through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, I no longer need to look to my own power to “walk in the way” but, instead, can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Php. 4:13).

The promise of rest is inviting . . . the pressure to resist is real . . . fueled by unbelief and doubt. Will God really forgive me? Is the blood of Jesus truly sufficient to atone for all my sin? Haven’t I goofed up too many times for Him to continue loving me? Don’t I need to work a little harder in order to deserve His rest? Answer key: Yes, Yes, No, No.

There is a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Mine is to believe it . . . cease from counting on my own efforts . . and to enter into it by faith.

It is the best spot in the place. It is the only spot in the place . . . for settling in . . . stretching out . . . closing my eyes . . . and taking in the music of heaven.

By His grace . . . for His glory!