We live in a world that constantly bombards us with offers for immediate gratification— fleeting pleasures, temporary treasures, and the shallow status that money and influence can buy. These things distract us and actually weigh us down. For they only last for a moment and they never really satisfy.
That’s the tension we’re going to see in today’s Scripture. For the OT people of God had to choose between seeking worldly pleasure or by faith, seeking the greater reward of Christ.
In the book of Hebrews, the author encouraged Jewish background believers by reminding them how the saints of old faithfully looked beyond worldly success and suffering to the greater reward God promised and fulfilled in Christ Jesus. We can faithfully look beyond this life to the greater reward we have in Christ Jesus.
Since we were children, we have made a big deal about promises. Who hasn’t heard a child crying to a parent, “But you promised?” We all make promises and try to keep them. We promise to take our son fishing. We sign a promissory note at the bank to buy a car or obtain a mortgage. We promise “till death do us part.” We make a lot of promises and try to keep them, but a promise is only as good as our integrity and our ability to keep it.
But every human promise has a shelf life. Have you ever had someone break a promise to you? Maybe it was small — a promise to call, to help, to show up. Or maybe it was big — a promise that left a scar. We live in a world full of broken promises, so it’s easy to doubt anyone who says, “Trust me.” Yet, that’s exactly what God calls us to do in Christ Jesus.
In the book of Hebrews, the author taught believers that the promises of God, in which the patriarchs believed, pointed to greater promises in Christ Jesus.
You’ve probably heard someone say, “Keep the faith.” In our culture, that usually means, “Stay positive,” or “Don’t give up hope.” But notice what’s missing—it never defines the object of that faith. No wonder so many today are “deconstructing” their faith, pulling it apart piece by piece until nothing remains, because if faith is only a vague feeling or a cultural inheritance, why hold on to it?
But biblical faith is different. It’s not about how hard you believe—it’s about who you believe in. It’s not great faith in God that matters, but faith in a great God. And our faith is greater because its object—Jesus Christ—is greater.
In the epistle of Hebrews, the Jewish background believers were encouraged not to shrink back from believing because of trouble and persecution, but to live by a faith that is greater because it rests in Christ Jesus as its fulfillment as the believers of old had done.
“But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3 ESV). Paul began this section by commending the Corinthians for remembering him and holding fast to the “traditions” he had delivered (v.2). The
“But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” (Romans 11:6 ESV). Paul wrote to the Roman believers about God’s faithfulness to preserve a remnant of Israel, not based on merit but on grace. In this verse, Paul offered a clear, theological
“Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.” (Acts 11:1 ESV). This verse reports a historic and groundbreaking moment in the early church. For the first time, Gentiles—those outside the covenant community of Israel—had received the word of God. The apostles and
“For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father” (1 Kings 11:4 ESV). Solomon began his reign as king of Israel well. He was devoted to the Lord and his
On this day Easter Sunday we are reminded that Jesus claimed to be the Resurrection and the Life. He claimed that He was not only able to defeat death, but that He is the only way that we can receive this resurrection life. Where do you need this resurrection life today? Where are you experiencing death today? For there are many kinds of death: death of an unfulfilled dream; death of a relationship due to divorce or discord among former friends or family; and of course the finality of death itself. How do you face death? What do you believe about this?
Jesus not only claimed to be the resurrection and the life. He proved it! His resurrection is a fact and a matter of historical record. Do you believe this?
In the gospel of John 11:25-26, about two weeks before the first Easter Sunday, Jesus called Martha, whose brother Lazarus had died, to believe in Him as the resurrection and the life. We can experience resurrection life by believing in Jesus.
“So that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation” (Luke 11:50–51 ESV). Jesus told
“For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation” (Luke 11:30 ESV). The religious leaders in Jesus’ day were constantly demanding signs to prove who He was. Yet Jesus pointed them to one powerful sign that foreshadowed His ultimate mission: the sign of