Hebrews 4:1-11 Dr. Richard J. Krejcir

A Rest for God’s People!

General idea: God is great and we are to proclaim His most spectacular wonder and partake of His blessings. His rest is open and available to us who know and trust Him; His rest, the eternity of Heaven, is our great reward now and forevermore. At such a magnitude, we should tremble in awe and wonder—even fear that we may miss it. We will fail so much and miss His plan and rest if we are so prideful we never receive Him as Savior and Lord. For His good news is He offers us this plan, and there is no better plan! He has prepared a place for you! You are His and He wants you! But we have to believe and in trust Him; if not, we have no place in God’s Kingdom now or in eternity. Christianity comes with a catch—an obligation or an entrance fee so to speak, and it is so simple people reject it, and so hard others can’t stand it. Yes, our grace is free without works or effort on our part, but it requires our belief in Christ to receive Him and His work in our lives. Being a Christian is all about Christ, Who He is and what He has done; it is not about you or me, other than we respond in faith and resound His love by living a life of gratitude for Him which is our rest of comfort now, until one day we enter His eternal rest. This has been promised to us, spoken by the prophets, written down in the Scriptures, and lived out by our Lord. This rest is not just about eternity; it is trusting in Him for our lives now, so we are fruitful now. Life that has no worry or strife as our hope and life are working by and in Him. We can rest in Him now and in eternity! So let us listen carefully to Christ, hear His voice, and obey His call and precepts!

More here: http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=42129&columnid=3803

Hebrews 3:7-19 Dr. Richard J. Krejcir

Learning from Failure!

General idea: A call of the Holy Spirit is given; a warning is proclaimed that we must listen to the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are not to turn our backs on His precepts or usurp our will over His. This is what the pious, fraudulent people of Israel had done to anger God. They rebelled and disrespected and distrusted God as Lord, Sovereign of their lives as He led them from slavery into the Promised Land. They saw incredible, unprecedented miracles yet hid their hearts from God and wanted their way over His right way. God was angry with them and justly so. We do the same when we refuse to listen, risking the loss of what He has for us. We are called to be introspective, to look within our hearts and make sure there is no transgression or plan that is contrary to God’s way and call. We are also called to help one another, to be accountable, to heed Christ and not disobey, so none of us is deceived by our pride or the problems of others. These people heard His voice and knew His will, yet they rebelled and disobeyed. What they got for their efforts of rebellion was death. They did not taste His goodness and blessings; they traded their pride in for disaster when they could have had it better than they could ever have imagined! All they needed to do was be faithful, look to Him as their lead, and enter His rest.

More here: http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=41860&columnid=3803

Hebrews 3:1-6 Dr. Richard J. Krejcir

“Jesus is Greater than Moses!”

General idea: Jesus Christ is God and thus He is greater than the ones who paved the way of faith to the peoples. Moses was the supreme of all prophets, whereas Christ is Lord over all. Moses led the house of Israel, but Christ built it. Jesus is not just a messenger, He is the Message; He is not just our priest; rather, He is The High Priest. He walked this earth to show us who He is and what we can be in Him. He showed us faithfulness; we can show Him our faith too. Likewise, Moses, who walked in faith and trusted in God, modeled a Way for the Jews and all peoples of earth. He was entrusted to lead the house of Israel and so he did by conviction and action. He was the giver of God’s law and precepts and deserves our reverence and respect. But, Christ is greater than all, including Moses. For He created Moses and all that there is. Moses is the house and Christ is the builder of that house. Moses was a servant of God whereas Christ is God. Moses was a walking, living illustration of how God works and that He requires from us faith and obedience. Thus, as Moses did and as Christ demonstrated, we too are to remain faithful and true in God, through Christ, by the Way of the Spirit. Seek His truth, consider His precepts, and walk in His ways by trust. Be filled with courage and confidence because of who you are in Him.

More here: http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=41628&columnid=3803

Hebrews 2:12-18 Dr. Richard J. Krejcir

“Jesus our Compassionate God!”

General idea: Jesus Christ is our Creator, LORD; He calls us His brothers and sisters and asks us to trust Him. He is our Redeemer and High Priest and is the One who makes us holy. He goes from the Suffering Messiah to the Deliverer. He shows and bestows compassion beyond measure. We are in a family relationship, totally functional and blessed as we share the same Father God Almighty, the Maker of the Heavens and earth, and He is not ashamed of us. Jesus declares the wonders and glory of His Name and shows us how to praise God among the peoples. It is all about our trust in Him, demonstrated by Jesus as He became one of us, flesh and blood, taking in humanity to be our Savior and example. He broke the power of death and the devil and gave us life eternal and a life worth living. He is our Deliverer so we are no longer slaves to sin or too meaningless; we have no fear of the devil or fear of death. He is our Help and our Hope that no mere angel could ever give. In His humanity, He was able to identify with us and show us authentic mercy and an example of faith. Since He has gone through it all, including great suffering, He is far more able to be a help in our trials and temptations.

More here: http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=40459&columnid=3803

Hebrews 2:5-11 Dr. Richard J. Krejcir

“Jesus Founds our Salvation!”

General idea: Jesus Christ is the founder of our salvation and authors our faith. He is totally Divine and He became Human too. Thus, we are not controlled or answerable to angels or created things for our faith, only to God, the Sovereign of the universe. It is all about Christ as Lord, who we ought to think right of. He is no mere man or a subordinate being of some sort, He is not governed or subjected to anything or anyone, yet He humbled Himself to be as our example and our Savior crowned with Glory and honor as He walked this earth. It is He Who holds all authority in the universe. There is nothing that is left out of His knowledge and control. Whereas our knowledge and experience including the sum knowledge of all humanity and to come has no equal with our Lord’s. We can’t see the big picture or what will come or how things work together, but He does. We do not see the inner workings of the universe or how things happen or made, only a mere glimpse is what we have, where He has it all. We have Jesus, we must see Jesus who is our all in all and who tasted death on our behalf. He is the ultimate act of grace that He made by sacrifice of Himself for us. He who made everything and for what everything was made for, also made Himself for us. Through undeserved suffering The Most Perfect Sovereign Being, He who was only One fit to do this, founds our salvation and authors our faith. His Work alone, His holiness alone, Who now calls us His children!

More here: http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=40467&columnid=3803

Hebrews 2:1-4 Dr. Richard J. Krejcir

“Listen to Christ!”

General idea: Jesus Christ is supremely greater than all. Thus, we are called to fervently listen, know, and carefully apply what we are taught from the Word as well as from other godly sources. The Truth of our Lord Jesus Christ is an imperative reality. If we do not hear it, we will not know it, and then we cannot apply it; the result will be our drifting away from His precepts and call. Thus, we will miss the vital knowledge and the opportunities He has for us. God uses various ways to deliver His Truth—from angels to His written Word, and through the Word of the Son. His Word is valuable beyond measure and the truth for our lives. We must also be aware of the cost of disobedience, because missing His message means we miss Him and His call and His opportunities. Our call includes not letting good knowledge and opportunities waste away. Even though our salvation is secured, as Christians we should never be indifferent to His precepts and call. God’s message is true, it has been verified, and it stands the test of time and scrutiny, even shown true by miracles.

More here: http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=38977&columnid=3803

Hebrews 1:5-14 Dr. Richard J. Krejcir

“The Sonship of Christ!”

General idea: Jesus Christ is greater than everything! He is greater than angels, and so are His Name, His role, and His purpose. These has been given by God for Him and presented to us. Jesus is the Son and the eternal Sovereign God; God wants the entire universe to recognize Christ’s sonship and LORDSHIP and rule. In fact, angels too must recognize and worship Jesus as LORD. Angels of various categories and responsibilities all must know and see the Son as Royal, God eternal. He who made the universe made you and me, runs all things, and knows all things; His love is inexhaustible and His holiness indescribable. He has always existed and will always endure forever, yet all other things will eventually fade. His enemies—those who hate God and everything that is good—will be judged and will be humiliated. Yet, angels are servants of God, messengers to worship Him and care for Him and show Him to others, and even serve us. They are important and precious, sent from God to us; but they are not God nor do they hold any of His attributes.

Contexts and Background: This passage in Hebrews sets up an eloquent and carefully crafted case for the clear indication of the infinite deity, superiority, and supremacy of Jesus Christ as the eternal, Holy God, all of which is also documented by the Old Testament. In addition, Jesus is infinitely superior to any created being or entity. This argument uses various verses quoted from the Septuagint (first century Greek translation of the Old Testament most recognizable to the early church and Jews) using key words, such as Son, in order to link the thoughts from the coming Messiah to the revelation and resurrection of Christ Himself, a then common Jewish exegetical technique. These quotes come mostly from Psalm 2:7 and the Old Testament passage 2 Samuel 7:14. Then the “author,” inspired by the Holy Spirit, is using rhetorical questions to prove Christ’s coming and His Supremacy (worshiped by angels) to a misguided church that thought angels were supreme and Christ was also an angel of some sort or at least not as authoritative (Deut. 32:43; 2 Sam. 7:14; Psalm 2:7; 97:7; Acts 13:33).

More here: http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=38764&columnid=3803

Hebrews 1:1-4 Dr. Richard J. Krejcir

Jesus is Supreme!

General idea: God’s best is saved for last; His spoken Word is through His Son to us. This passage brings an important theme that God works and wants to speak to us. He is fully God, one with the Father, and He is most far greater to all! Jesus Christ is Excelsior par excellence LORD, the surpassing greatness of all that is or ever will be! Who is Jesus to you? How does this hold up to who He is in reality as revealed in the Scriptures? Is Jesus the central figure in your life as He is the central figure in the entire universe? Jesus is the Ultimate, He is God’s Son, He is the Heir of all things, and He is Supreme! It is imperative we know who Jesus is in our last days, as He is the One, the Promise, and our Savior. Jesus created the world and holds all things together, whose imprint is in all things and radiates God’s Glory, presence, and Awe. He sits at God’s right hand and controls the universe. He is also the One spoken of by the prophets, who came to save and take away our sins. Jesus is Supreme and even superior to any created thing, including angels.

Contexts: The Epistle of Hebrews introduces two major themes; one is the divinity of Christ. He is supreme over all—over traditions, Law, and all that was created, including angels. He is the Ultimate Word of God! Jesus is the heir of all things. He is incarnate, He made the universe, and He is the radiance of God's glory and sustains all things. In so doing, He is able to give us redemption and purify us from our sins (Mark 16:19; Eph 1:20; Col 1:15-20; 3:1; 1 Pet. 3:22). This passage also introduces a second major theme; God is the One who speaks (Heb. 2:2-3; 4:12; 6:5; 11:3; 12:25). He is a God of promise and fact, He has an inheritance and an Inheritor and a role for us. The audience was a Church that was confused about the role of Christ and angels and which was superior. They tried to compromise His status to appease pagans and Jews. This passage is in a classic, formal Jewish style similar to the opening of “Ecclesiasticus, “a popular apocrypha Jewish wisdom book (deuterocanonical) written in a high language style.

More here: http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=38568&columnid=3803