Hebrews 10:5-7

Hebrews 10:5-7
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  It struck me tonight -- Christ had the power to do or have anything he wanted.  What would you do if you had no limit to your resources?  What would you do if you could do anything, without limit?  How would you spend your time, your energy, your life?  Would you invest in yourself?
  Or would you choose to offer up your life to the poor, the hungry, the outcast?  Would you serve those who have chosen sin?  Would you give everything up so that others may join you in the glory you deserve, even though destruction may be the most fitting end for them?
  Christ chose to love and to serve, to give himself up for sinners.  He could have had anything.  What he wanted was eternal life with you.
  How will you respond to such a gift, such an outpouring of love?

Hebrews 10:1-4

Hebrews 10:1-4
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  It's easy to say that the old law is completely bad, but that would be a mistake.  It pointed forward, to what was to come, and it taught the people that they were not perfect and in need of God's grace.
  Discipline is a tough subject.  Rachel and I talk about it a lot--how to do it right without going overboard, communicating our love and yet the fact that some of the kids' actions are unacceptable.  It's a tightrope, always trying to do the right thing without going too far in one direction, trying to teach the children how to grow while reminding them of our love.
  God does the same for us.  He disciplines us, reminding us of our sin, and yet he makes a path forward so that we can grow.  We don't sit in sin and despair -- we learn that sin is wrong and grow, recognizing the grace that abounds and the freedom we are afforded.  Thanks be to God for pruning us so that we may continue to grow, for teaching us what is wrong so that we may cling to what is right.

Hebrews 9:25-28

Hebrews 9:25-28
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  As we draw closer to Christmas, the miracle is astounding -- a child, vulnerable and dependent, is born to a young virgin, also vulnerable.  God chooses this path, and though it leads to the cross, it also leads through it, to the abundant life that is on the other side.  Christ only has to do this once, but even once is immensely difficult.  God does this for us, because there is hope once death is defeated.
  If we were left to our own efforts, upon our death we would have nothing to offer as payment for our sins, for our good deeds would not outweigh our guilt.  Christ steps into this void, offering himself as payment, making it possible for us to receive the glory Christ deserves.
  Christ has done this for us.  Let us rejoice as Christmas comes near, giving thanks for all God has done!

Hebrews 9:23-24

Hebrews 9:23-24
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Picture the most beautiful place you've ever been.  Think of the happiest moment of your life.  Think of the place that gives you the most peace.
  All of these are wonderful gifts from God, and yet each and every one is surpassed by the glory and greatness of Heaven.
  These wonderful moments we have on earth are snapshots -- they are momentary glimpses into what heaven will be like.  They are signposts along the way, indicating the joy and peace and happiness and contentment we will ultimately find in God.  None is a perfect copy, but each is a reflection of the attributes of heaven.
  So let us give thanks for these moments of beauty here on earth, and may we find them even more precious by trusting that God has even better moments in store.

Hebrews 9:18-22

Hebrews 9:18-22
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  So I'll admit that I stopped giving blood some time ago.  I used to go fairly regularly, but then they wouldn't let me after I was in England for too long, and then they wouldn't let me because I was in Honduras, and after that it was just easy for me to not give.  I fell out of the routine, and I wasn't too excited to return to giving.  Why?  Because there is a giant needle in my arm and it hurts, mostly.
  Extracting blood bears a cost.  It's never easy and rarely painless.  In old sacrificial system, it demonstrated the high price to be paid for sin.  Sin is not a thing easily forgotten.  As Christ made the last necessary sacrifice, the blood of Christ, poured out for sin, demonstrates the high price Christ was willing to pay so that we could be reconciled to him.  Christ's blood was not too high a price -- God wanted you back so badly that God would pay any price to redeem us.
  Think about that as you go forth today -- God loves you immensely, and no price was too high to redeem you.

Hebrews 9:13-17

Hebrews 9:13-17
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 Christ died for a purpose:  to redeem sinners who were otherwise lost.  With his death, he paid the price we had been trying (and failing) to pay for sin, and he made it possible for us to have hope in the face of despair -- sin was no longer a dead end, for Christ had made a way out through his perfect sacrifice.
  Indeed, we are heirs.  In order for us to receive our inheritance, the one who grants this must die, and this is exactly what Christ does.  His death flings open the door to eternal life, and we are welcomed in as a free gift.
  It's as though we were all starving to death, and the richest man in town opened up his house and promised to feed us all we could possibly want and more.  In the darkest of nights, the light of Christ shone fiercely, paving the way to hope!

Hebrews 9:8-12

Hebrews 9:8-12
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  We want so badly to be in control.  We want to drive the car, to have Jesus as our co-pilot and confirm that we are doing the right things.  We want religion to fit into its place in our lives, and we want to be sure that nothing God asks of us is too great of an inconvenience.  We want a religion that is safe and pre-determined.
  Instead, God comes to us, offering to release us from sin and fear and doubt and shame.  In return, he asks for everything, promising us that we will be in a more abundant and fruitful place if we hand ourselves over, but God never promises that it will be easy, and Christianity is not a safe choice that will stay confined to one part of your life.  It will take over, changing the way we see the world and asking for more and more, displacing lesser things until all of life is a joyful, living sacrifice to Christ.
  We get so much more in return than we could ever give, but it's not easy to give.  It's not easy to give up control, to let God be in charge, to admit that we don't know the best way.  This is hard, but it is worth it.

Hebrews 9:1-7

Hebrews 9:1-7
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  The lesson here is that there was a place where we could not go.  Our sin separated us from the holiest part of the temple, and there was no path in.  A high priest entered the space once a year, but for the rest of us, we were doomed to sit outside and lament our sin, hoping against hope that mercy might trickle through to us.
  Instead, God brought the curtain separating us crashing down, and mercy radiated out to transform us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who willingly crossed the barrier so that we might be brought into the full presence of God through his atonement for our sin.  Only through Christ do we find the path to true life, and so we go boldly forward in his holy name.

Hebrews 8:7-13

Hebrews 8:7-13
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

   Have you ever made a commitment you haven't lived up to?  Have you promised someone something that you didn't deliver?  Have you fallen short?
  It's a terrible feeling, and it can be made worse depending on the person you're dealing with.  They can choose to remind you, over and over again, of your failures.
  We fell short on our commitment to God.  We promised we would live a certain way, but instead we chose selfishness and idolatry.
  God, however, decided that he would forgive, rather than punish.  God chose to create a new law, written on our minds and hearts, that would make it possible for us to find redemption and grace in him.
  Though we fail, God never does.  Thanks be to God!

Hebrews 8:1-6

Hebrews 8:1-6
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 We long for heaven.  We know that things on this earth are not how they should be, and heaven is the place where all will be set right, where pain and death and sorrow will be no more.  Heaven is the place where sin will not doggedly pursue us, where we will be able to sit in the presence of God and rest in his peace.
  On earth, we find reflections of such a place.  They remind us of our purpose, of our Creator, of what might be.  We have moments, snapshots of the Kingdom of Heaven, and they are sparks within us, driving us to live in such a way as to duplicate that Kingdom here on earth.
  May God's Kingdom come.  Christ serves as priest, bringing our prayers before God and making us worthy to sit in his presence.  Through Christ, we have access to God.  May we continually give thanks, and may we live with eyes and ears and hearts wide open, searching for evidence of the Kingdom and sharing it for all to see.

Hebrews 7:20-28

Hebrews 7:20-28
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  It's exhausting to try and keep up with sin.  Imagine if you tried to keep a list, and then to offer a sacrifice for each and every sin.  You'd have no time for anything else, and you'd be so weary at the end of every day from trying to fix an ever growing list of sins that you'd eventually discover you can't fix on your own.  Eventually, you'd just collapse under the weight of ongoing sin.
  And so God offers us a solution in Jesus Christ.  Rather than hoping you'll eventually get caught up and repair the bridge to God on your own, God reaches out and reaches down to us and offers the perfect sacrifice, once and for all, that atones for our sin.  God relieves us from the oppressive burden of sin and frees us to live in joy and hope, so that others may come to see God at work through us.

Hebrews 7:15-19

Hebrews 7:15-19
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  We are broken.  It's due to sin, and just like Humpty Dumpty at the bottom of the wall, we can't be made right purely by concentration of human effort.  It takes more than human effort to fix us -- it takes an act of God, and this is exactly what we have in Jesus Christ.
  In the midst of so much else going on in life, it's so easy to forget what God did for us.  Because God loves you, God took on human flesh, ascended the cross and died so that you might not have to suffer the full punishment of your sins.  Because of God's love, you now have hope, rather than despair.  Because of God's love for you, we have a better hope that brings us close to God.
  So be grateful today.  Be bold and confidant and assured that no matter what happens, God loves you, and you have a firm hope that cannot be taken from you.

Hebrews 7:8-14

Hebrews 7:8-14
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 Here, the preacher makes a transition from speaking of Melchizedek, the ancient priest, to Jesus Christ, the new priest.  Jesus doesn't come from the tribe of Levi, which was the traditional priestly tribe.  Instead, Jesus comes from the tribe of Judah, which was the tribe of David, the tribe of Kings.  See, Jesus wasn't just a priest, passing along our offerings and communicating what God had to say to us.  Jesus was also a King, and so he had power, the ability to change things.  Unlike some self-concerned kings, Jesus was more concerned about the people over which he ruled than himself.
  Because of this, Jesus made the perfect sacrifice, and when he rose from the dead, he did so with the power to rule over all creation.  He was the priest who repaired our relationship with God, and he was the King who ruled in power for us!  The King laid himself down so that you might join with him in his realm.

Hebrews 7:4-7

Hebrews 7:4-7
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Abraham, who chose to honor Melchizedek, made it clear who was superior when he gave 10% of what he had to Melchizedek.
  In the same way, when we give money to the glory of God, we're making a declaration about who is worthy of more honor.  By freely sacrificing, we admit that it isn't all about us -- what we have is meant to be directed for the glory of God.  We aren't trying to build up monuments for ourselves.  We're trying to contribute to God's glory, and so we give freely for God's honor.

Hebrews 7:1-3

Hebrews 7:1-3
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Melchizedek kind of comes out of nowhere.  He seems to play a small role in Genesis, and yet here in Hebrews he is referenced and given center stage.  He plays a much larger role than he probably imagined.
  The lesson here, in my opinion, is that you don't truly understand the impact of your actions.  You may be able to grasp the short-term impact, but the long-term impact is far beyond our ability to grasp it.  As a pastor I greatly respect once said, "You may be the answer to someone's prayer."  The hard part is internalizing that you may not see the answer realized.  You may not gain the satisfaction of seeing the full impact of your actions, but you impact people everyday, and that impact often lasts far longer than you might imagine.
  So continue to serve and love and give freely.  Trust that this will impact others more than you know, and that the Holy Spirit will use your life to glorify God.

Hebrews 6:13-20

Hebrews 6:13-20
Contemporary English Version (CEV)


  There are so many great reminders in here.
  First of all, there is no one or no thing greater than God.  What we often do is put things in God's place, and while we don't intentionally think of it this way, when we try and find peace or security or meaning by another path, we are giving these things (such as money or success or renown) more power than God.  God was, is and always will be, and only he can rule over the universe and meet our heart's deepest desires.
  Secondly, God's promises will never be broken.  All the promises that Christ has made about enduring and overcoming -- those will all be fulfilled.  No matter how dark and bleak things may seem, the light of Christ will always shine, and it will overcome in the end.  We are charged with enduring to the end to see the final result.  So our hope in Christ's promises should be an anchor for us, a security in the midst of blowing storms and crashing waves.  We cling to our hope in Christ,
  Finally, Jesus has gone ahead of us.  We don't follow a Savior who doesn't know what it's like to be in our place -- we follow a Savior who has walked the road, who has endured the trials and suffering, all so that we may join him in glory!