The 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem had not yet taken place, but if the dating of Hebrews is 64-68 AD, then annihilation was nearer than any of them realized. The time to be renewed in their faith was immediate! If that was true then, it is even truer today for us and for America – and it is likely nearer than any of us imagine. How will any of us escape?
If you were a Jew attempting to persuade Jewish Christians to come back to the Temple, and your appeal to the advantage of the prophets failed to do so, then the angels as intermediaries between God and Moses just might convince them to leave Christianity behind. If you were writing this letter, how would you convince them to remain faithful? As it happens, this is a terrific expose’ on apologetics and the identity of Christ.
William R. Newell wrote: Here at the beginning let us bow our whole being at this word, “God.” God has spoken! If God has not spoken then we are fools for trusting a lie. The question is not, Has God spoken, but rather, “How” has God spoken? Does He speak today as He spoke in the past, or does He speak in new ways through new personalities? Our eternal lives depend on the answer.
We can all be hall of famers. We can all reach a plateau where we join the great host of witnesses both to the pagan world and to Christendom. I don’t know about you, but I had much rather be in the hall of fame than the hall of shame. Get to know the players who will help you reach Hall of Fame status.
Peter tells us that we have everything necessary to fly, but flying will never take place without first breaking out of the egg. The bad news is that some Christians are stagnated in the embryonic stages of spirituality, but the good news is that God has made a way for us to soar through the heavens. Get ready to take flight!
Have you ever found yourself in the torture chamber of anger and bitterness? Maybe, you’re there right now — stretched out on an emotional rack of torture, and it seems as if, at any moment, your life will rip at the seams. How do you come out of that torture chamber? What you hear in this message is the absolute starting place. Get ready. Set. Go!
What transpires when anger and bitterness are left unchecked in our hearts? What materializes when anger and bitterness are not jettisoned from the recesses of our minds? Think four words: conflict, coldness, isolation and uselessness.
Has anyone’s success challenged you to the point of anger? Have you ever felt that someone owes you something? Have you ever been weighed down because the circumstances of life have been unfair? If the answer to these questions is “yes,” you may be struggling with anger and resentment, a condition that the writer of Hebrews refers to as “the root of bitterness which springs up and causes trouble.” If you want to be free from the ball and chain of emotional rancor, this message is for you.