Faith in Jesus (Hebrews 9:11-15)

So what's changed with faith in Jesus, is our hearts.  The more I read the Bible and seek the Lord; the more I don't want to get into trouble.  The Holy Spirit works in my heart to help me not to desire bad things.  I still lose my temper and have bad days.  It's nothing like the anger and rage I used to have.  I have joy and peace.  Actually at 53, I find walking to be a great way to handle stress.  Something about putting one foot in front of the other helps me put my thoughts in order...  Too much wine and I fall asleep.  I prefer the joy of the Lord over the stuff in our world.  Walking with my camera and enjoying God's beautiful creation is a good day for me, painting and singing too.

One of my favorite disciples is Peter.  He put his foot in his mouth, quite often.  I can relate to that.  After Jesus was taken captive, Peter denied knowing Him 3 times.  He was always first to speak and fell into the water instead of walking on it.  But after Peter received the Holy Spirit he became awesome!  When you read the book of Acts, Peter is out leading people to Christ all over Israel.  The difference is the Holy Spirit.  Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit into the disciples after His body died on the cross.

I was trying to figure out how to move forward in this section of Hebrews without being too repetitive.  This is what I came up with.  The verses below describe the change that happened to Peter.

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
(Acts 2:38-39 NKJV)

He is confident in his faith.  He knows the Holy Spirit is present within him.  There's no shame here.  No wonder Jesus called him the rock, He would build His Church on.  He did.  Then to top it all off, Peter is a descendant of Jonah.  You remember Jonah right?  The one who tried to run away from God's calling.  Jesus called Peter, "Simon Bar-Jonah."  "Bar-Jonah" means son of Jonah. It's kind of cool that things would take this turn in this family. I like this part because it encourages us to remember, with Christ all things are possible.  In Him our history or ancestry does not define who we are.  We are His and that's what matters most.  Each day is a new beginning when we repent and confess our sins. A chance to start over.

13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “ But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar- Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
(Matthew 16:13-19 NKJV)

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 
Hebrews 8:10

11 But when the Messiah arrived, high priest of the superior things of this new covenant, he bypassed the old tent and its trappings in this created world and went straight into heaven's "tent" ––the true Holy Place––once and for all. 12 He also bypassed the sacrifices consisting of goat and calf blood, instead using his own blood as the price to set us free once and for all. 13 If that animal blood and the other rituals of purification were effective in cleaning up certain matters of our religion and behavior, 14 think how much more the blood of Christ cleans up our whole lives, inside and out. 15 Through the Spirit, Christ offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice, freeing us from all those dead–end efforts to make ourselves respectable, so that we can live all out for God.
(Hebrews 9:11-15 Message) 

One thing to say, "Hallelujah!  What a Savior!"

Here's a song-
Oceans (where feet may fail), Hillsong United (link)

Covenant vs. Commandment (Hebrews 8:7-13)

"We've all sinned"
© Karen Kyle Ericson, all rights reserved.

We got snow!  We got 15 inches.  Instead of exercising on the stationary bike, I went out and shoveled the snow.  It was fluffy snow, so not too hard to clean up.   Now the roads from New Jersey to New York City are icy.  We don't do so good out here in icy.  When there's no traffic jam it means "floor it," or "free at last!" Oy!  It would be good to say a prayer for our people and our Governor (I wrote one at the end of this post).

I want to make a snowman with the kids next door, but it's powder.  We'll get more snow tonight.  I've always loved surprises so I like to scoop out the neighbors snow too.  Guess I'm still a kid at 53.

This passage is challenging, I had to break out a dictionary of all things!  In order to understand this passage I looked up some word meanings:
Covenant: a formal, solemn, and binding agreement.
Commandment:  the act or power of commanding, something that is commanded.
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary


I did some more research on how Jesus' covenant is different from the original commandments.  It turns out God's original covenant with man required sacrifice for sin.  This was usually lambs.  Sin is anything that is out of the will of God.  In some cases breaking one of the 10 Commandments resulted in death.  We know Mary who bore Jesus could've been stoned to death because she was pregnant and not married.  But God sent her and Joseph to Bethlehem to pay taxes.

So, when Jesus was crucified the last sacrifice was made.  I read that historically, 40 years after Jesus was crucified the whole temple building was destroyed by Romans.  There was no place for sacrifices to be made so they were stopped.  Some destruction took place in the temple when Jesus' body died on the cross, like the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies was torn in two.

So, God's first covenant with man was if we broke the 10 Commandments, we had to make a sacrifice.  Or be punished by death. It's interesting, sacrifices were made on regular, scheduled times.  This implies that people have been sinning since the beginning. It became expected that animal sacrifices had to made.  What caused it was Eve's decision to know the difference between good and evil by eating the apple.  And then Adam gave it a try too.

Hebrews 8:7-13
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says:“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 
God changed the covenant/contract with us.  His commandments were never removed.


10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord, ’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
We have access to the Bible in almost all languages now : )  I believe this is describing both here on earth and in the new kingdom that God is going to provide.  It will be a new Heaven and earth.  His commandments will be in our hearts, and our minds.  I have found memorizing verses really helps me out when I get down.
(NKJV)

Today we have this promise:

23 ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation (gain or regain favor) by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
(Romans 3:23-26 NKJV)

Since we have such an awesome God: who became the sacrifice for our sin, we can seek and find forgiveness, a new beginning in our lives.  So let's all lift up our heads and give Him praise!
Lift up your head, by Jars of Clay (link) 

Here's my prayer for the Winter Olympics and stuff:

Dear Heavenly Father,
I lift up this event to you.  I pray You will protect all who are there and expose the deeds of the terrorists before they are accomplished.  Point them out to the security people.  I pray for Governor Christie.  Thank you for providing a leader who actually cried when he saw the devestation in New Jersey after the hurricane.  We are grateful for him.  Please protect him from selfish politicians.  Guide our country to have compassion and care for each other once again.  I pray for those in Congress that You will give them courage to be noble and seek what's right for our people and the world.  We need You now more than ever.  Thank You for our wonderful country.  And help our NJ drivers drive wisely in the ice, grant them peace instead of anxiety.
 In Jesus Name, Amen.

10 Commandments, One final sacrifice (Hebrews 7:11-28, Exodus 20:3-17)

"No more sheep as a sacrifice.  Poor little guys."

© Karen Kyle Ericson, all rights reserved.

I would've made a terrible Hebrew.  I love animals : )  But what Jesus did is so amazing.

In this section of Hebrews it tells why the 10 Commandments weren't enough for our salvation.  Basically, we all messed it up.  Jesus came to the rescue! The 10 Commandments would've been great if we could've obeyed.  If we all worshipped one God, there would be no religious wars and we could still be in Eden.  If we never created images like gold calves and TV sets to worship, we'd be more peaceful (ok and unaware).  If we all respected and valued God's name, we'd be conscious of how we speak to each other.  If we always take a break on Sunday, we'd find rest.  If kids honored their parents, there wouldn't be teenage pregnancies or drug abuse.  If no one murdered, we'd be safe.  If people worked things out in marriage instead of adultery, there would be no more lost children with divided families.  If no one stole things, there would be no need for locks.  If no one lied, life would be safe and fair.  And if no one coveted other people's stuff, they could enjoy their own stuff.  But... that's not us.  And God still loved us anyway.  Here's how He worked it out. : )

Hebrews 7:11-28

11 If the priesthood of Levi and Aaron, which provided the framework for the giving of the law, could really make people perfect, there wouldn't have been need for a new priesthood like that of Melchizedek. 12 But since it didn't get the job done, there was a change of priesthood, which brought with it a radical new kind of law. 13 There is no way of understanding this in terms of the old Levitical priesthood, 14 which is why there is nothing in Jesus 'family tree connecting him with that priestly line.

Jesus' family tree would've been through David. His real Father is God. And they are one.

The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17)

3 1 You shall have no other gods before Me.
4  2 You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 “3 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
8 “4 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work:you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
12 “5 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “6 You shall not murder.
14 “7 You shall not commit adultery.
15 “8 You shall not steal.
16 “9 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “10 You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's
(NKJV)

So the Melchizedek story is an illustration describing what Jesus did for us.

15 But the Melchizedek story provides a perfect analogy:  Jesus, a priest like Melchizedek, 16 not by genealogical descent but by the sheer force of resurrection life––he lives! –– 17 "priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek." 18 The former way of doing things, a system of commandments that never worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside; 19 the law brought nothing to maturity. Another way––Jesus! ––a way that does work, that brings us right into the presence of God, is put in its place.

I believe that God went this route with us as humans because He wanted us to learn.  If there had been no fall in the Garden of Eden, man would've never considered disobedience as a bad thing.  If there was no flood, we would never have known God's power and love for us His creation.  When I started writing code to create web sites I made mistakes but then I figured out how to fix them.  By giving us a Savior, God has provided the grace we needed to become His servants on earth.  We'll be perfected in Heaven.  Not sure what that means exactly, no more sin, crazy governments, poverty, yeah it sounds pretty good! 

This is a great explanation of what God did:

20 The old priesthood of Aaron perpetuated itself automatically, father to son, without explicit confirmation by God. 21 But then God intervened and called this new, permanent priesthood into being with an added promise:
God gave his word;
he won't take it back:
"You're the permanent priest."
22 This makes Jesus the guarantee of a far better way between us and God––one that really works! A new covenant.
23 Earlier there were a lot of priests, for they died and had to be replaced. 24 But Jesus' priesthood is permanent. He's there from now to eternity 25 to save everyone who comes to God through him, always on the job to speak up for them.
26 So now we have a high priest who perfectly fits our needs:completely holy, uncompromised by sin, with authority extending as high as God's presence in heaven itself. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he doesn't have to offer sacrifices for his own sins every day before he can get around to us and our sins. He's done it, once and for all:offered up himself as the sacrifice. 28 The law appoints as high priests men who are never able to get the job done right. But this intervening command of God, which came later, appoints the Son, who is absolutely, eternally perfect.
(Hebrews 7:11-28 Message)

Hallelujah! So glad we don't have to sacrifice lambs to be forgiven.  Jesus is the ultimate High Priest for us.  

This song really fits.  Watch the Lamb, Don Francisco (link) 

Feel free to share your thoughts as well.

Temple sacrifices?

Matt 21:18-22

18 Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away.

20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"

21 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
NKJV

It's hard for us to understand the importance of the temple sacrifice, in 2011.  Jesus was angry and cleared the temple of all money changers.  He was angry because the sacrifice was to be the way for man to confess his sin to God and find forgiveness.  Man was to offer the best animal from his livestock to God- and God in turn would forgive and bless him.  The chief priests ignored God's Word, telling people to come to the temple and purchase a sacrifice to offer to God.  It was not a sacrifice for the buyer, other than financial. They even painted over blemishes in the animal offered.  It was like they didn't take God seriously.  Like a confession done as a requirement, rather than from the heart.  Meaningless to God.  They were "blind guides."

Sacrifice began in Genesis with Cain and Abel.  Both brothers brought an offering to God.  Cain grabbed some fruit and presented it to God and He didn't respect it.  Abel brought the firstborn from his flock and God respected it.  For Abel it was truly a sacrifice offered in faith, for Cain it was an item on his To-Do list.

Genesis 4:2-7
2 Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

6 So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
NKJV

An astounding sacrifice was asked of Abraham.  To me, it illustrates how seriously God took a sacrifice.  Abraham was willing to give anything to the Lord, even his beloved son.  It is also similar to the sacrifice of God's Son, "Jesus."  The sacrifice for all of mankind.
Gen 22:1-14
1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!"
And he said, "Here I am."
2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!"
And he said, "Here I am, my son."
Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"
8 And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!"
So he said, "Here I am."
12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided."
NKJV
The thicket where the lamb was found, had thorns.  Jesus was forced to wear a crown of thorns before His crucifixion.  Some say His crucifixion took place at the exact same spot as Abraham's sacrifice, on Mt. Moriah (the location of Jerusalem today). 

While Jesus was in the Temple, He was challenged by the chief priests, elders, Pharisees, and Herodians.  He spoke to them in parables. Matthew, Chapter 23 records the words Jesus used to describe what these men had done.  In these verses, He reveals His broken heart for Jerusalem, the Jewish people.
Matt 23:37-39
37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  38 See! Your house is left to you desolate;  39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

When they left Jerusalem, Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple.  In 70 AD, the Romans completely destroyed it- animal sacrifices by the Jewish people stopped.

Matt 24:1-2
24 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
NKJV

Jesus was anointed for His burial.  I think most Christian women love this story.  It is one of the major roles a woman had in Jesus ministry. Sometimes when I mess up, I imagine crying at Jesus' feet.  But if I were a disciple, I would feel frightened, and confused by this.  Here was their Master being anointed for... Burial?  Judas' heart is on display.  His attitudes are becoming more obvious.  The other disciples may have been annoyed at his comment at such a solemn moment, or confused themselves.
John 12:1-8
1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, 5 "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
7 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."
NKJV

It's important to note that the Old Testament of the Bible was written in ancient Hebrew.  The New Testament was written in ancient Greek.  The Bible was not written by one man.  Yet it tells one story that fits together like a picture puzzle.  The story of God's immense love for us, the provision for our salvation from sin, Jesus.  The only way to describe it is the inspired Word of God.