Hello everyone! Chapter 9 of Hebrews is pretty long but also awesome so let's delve right in! In my Bible, it is divided into two parts: Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle and The Blood of Christ. The theme of this chapter is to compare the old rituals to the new rituals, made different by Christ's sacrifice. Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle describes the "old" way of worship in the tabernacle (Old referring to the Old Testament). In those times, there were two rooms: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place behind the Holy Place. Important relics were the "gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant" (v. 4). The high priest entered these rooms only once a year with animal blood to atone for the people's sins. Yet the distinction is made that these rituals were only placeholders until the new convenant arrived, explaining why animal blood has (thankfully) fallen out of style. Verse 10 explains, "They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings-external regulations applying until the time of the new order". Now that there is a new convenant, the rituals change accordingly.
The Blood of Christ section starts at verse 11. Christ's blood is now the sacrifice and obviously much more precious than simple animal blood. The animal blood was not enough to "cleanse our consciences" but Christ's blood is (verse 14)! This is how the new convenant is new and improved, the ascent from mere animals' blood to the blood of Christ. The necessity of the new convenant is stated as "a ransom to set them free from teh sins committed under the first convenant" (v. 15). Again I assumed that this referred to the Israelites again and their disobedience regarding the jounrey to the Promised Land and such. It makes sense since Moses is mentioned a bit later in the chapter. Starting in verse 16, it describes how blood is needed to prove the validity of a new covenant (assuming that the words will and covenant are synonyms/interchangeable). In Moses' time animals' blood was used, but for the new covenant Christ's blood was used. There is a constant comparison/reminder of animals' blood in the Old Testament/old covenant and Christ's blood for the New Testament/new covenant. Jesus died for our sins and then entered heaven. The enormity of this sacrifice only needs to be done once as opposed to the continual slaughter of animals that the old rituals required. Through this act, Jesus has forever wiped away our sin, thus negating the need for further animal sacrifices. This singular act is compared to mortal deaths, which only occur once as well (v. 27). To me this seemed like an unworthy comparison for us at least, to have Jesus' one death compared to our one death. There is such a big jump in intensity from the first to the second covenant that the first covenant seems to be referred to as "copies of the heavenly things" compared to the second covenant which is the real deal (v. 23). The last verse prophecies Jesus' return where he will bring salvation. Perhaps then rituals will change again to accomodate this new addition. Personally I really liked this chapter because of the logical juxtaposition between old and new. I hope I analyzed it well enough (and clearly enough!) but please feel free to add on your own thoughts and such!!
In Pittsburgh I've been hanging out with friends, watching movies, etc. Let me know if you want any details on Twilight, Australia, 7 Pounds, or Bolt. hahaha Just relaxing and sleeping a ton (probably way more than necessary). It's not as deathly windy here which is a nice change. Actually today was in the 60s? Craziness. I do miss the sermons/LIFE group meetings from ACCESS though. The sermons at my home church are just not cutting it. :/ Hope everyone is doing well and see you all soon!!
Chrissy :)
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Awesome LIFE Group! I hope each of your respective Christmas days were wonderful with blessings as you spend time with your friends and families. I wanted to post especially today for a lot of reasons, but first:
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Hebrews 8
All this talk about Melchizedek comes to a point at Hebrews 8: Jesus is our High Priest. He does not follow the rules set up by men (ie the Levitical priests), but fulfills a role with "better promises" (verse 6) in the "true tabernacle" (verse 2). With Jesus, there is a new covenant, a new promise, a new contract - God promises that he will not remember our sins, that we will be his people, that he will be our God!
I love the image of the church, the label on the church that we are the bride, Christ is the groom. God calls us his people not in the sense necessarily that he owns us, that we are his property like slaves, but we are his people, like a man calls someone his bride (and likewise, the church calls Christ the groom). That's unleashing a whole other discussion, but I'll end with this:
God gives us that new promise. What an appropriate time for this chapter! Jesus came to earth as a real, physical, tangible representation of that promise - that we could know God and be in relationship with him. Amazing. I hope you can appreciate that today.
A song to share with you all: Welcome to our world by Chris Rice. It's an old one, but it's one that's touched me for years, and I hope it'll do the same for you.
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Awakening
I was at one of the UIC services one Sunday, the one where Pastor Seth came to speak. It was a crazy moment - he didn't bring up his laptop! Instead, he just took out his Bible, opened up to a passage, and just started sharing what he thought God wanted him to share.
In the midst of his sermon, he started sharing something - he felt like the church at UIC needed to pray. To really come earnestly before God and seek Him in dependence. He threw out a number - 21 days.
21 days.
It wasn't until a few weeks later that Pastor Seth shared about Awakening. It's a movement started by one of the bigger churches in America, where they take 21 days every January to start the year in prayer. It spread, and Pastor Seth had a chance to take part in it. How could he not? Preaching on what he did, throwing out the number that he did, how could our church not take part in this?
Something big is going to happen. I'm not sure what it is, but when God moves, you move with Him, even if you're not sure what it is. And we need to pray. We, as a LIFE group, need to pray. We, as a church, need to pray.
I want this LIFE group to begin now in preparation for these 3 weeks of prayer. If we just decide to give up something when it starts, then we'll be legalistic about it - "Oh, I can't eat because I have to." Instead, what I'm hoping is we come to the point where we all can say, "God, we're giving this up because we want you more than we want this."
As funny as it sounds, it's a way of saying, "God, I want you more than I want chicken shack." And for me, being home, I really want chicken shack. But man, oh man, if we see a thing of God happen... how incredible!
I hope that we can all reflect these next few weeks on what the year has brought us, and where we are now. And I want to encourage everyone to bring prayer requests! Yes, this is a time for our church, but this is a time to bring any request to God - prayers for ourselves and maybe our growth, prayers for our LIFE group, prayers for our friends that are in need, prayers for our campus, prayers for our church...
It's an exciting time coming. But I hope we can all prepare for it so we can get the most out of our time of prayer together. We will give more direction as a group in the coming weeks, but please, I'm asking you to reflect on this past year, look forward to the year ahead, and ask God for blessings in everything that happens this year.
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Blog
A more personal announcement: the blog designs are done! Head over there to see them in all their glory and splendor -
Evanston
Downtown
Some things I wanted to bring your attention to:
- Missions Projects : Sign ups are located on the blogs for both summer and spring projects. Please consider these and talk with your parents about them. I want to challenge some of you especially about the summer. Steps of faith require action, and for some of you, the next step of faith would be to participate this summer in our inner-city projects. Prayerfully consider this.
- Winter Retreat : I don't have to sell this as much, but the link is on the blog as well. Last year was pretty awesome, undergrad retreat was pretty awesome, and this retreat is gonna be pretty awesome. And this is one of the last times we'll have to hear Pastor Seth share from his heart, especially with the Jakarta plant coming soon. Sign up soon, with your mounds of Christmas money I know some of you got for Christmas ;)
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That's all I have for now. Merry Christmas again, get your sleep in before winter quarter starts up, be good to your parents, and I'll see you in a week and a half =)
-Josh
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Hebrews 8
All this talk about Melchizedek comes to a point at Hebrews 8: Jesus is our High Priest. He does not follow the rules set up by men (ie the Levitical priests), but fulfills a role with "better promises" (verse 6) in the "true tabernacle" (verse 2). With Jesus, there is a new covenant, a new promise, a new contract - God promises that he will not remember our sins, that we will be his people, that he will be our God!
I love the image of the church, the label on the church that we are the bride, Christ is the groom. God calls us his people not in the sense necessarily that he owns us, that we are his property like slaves, but we are his people, like a man calls someone his bride (and likewise, the church calls Christ the groom). That's unleashing a whole other discussion, but I'll end with this:
God gives us that new promise. What an appropriate time for this chapter! Jesus came to earth as a real, physical, tangible representation of that promise - that we could know God and be in relationship with him. Amazing. I hope you can appreciate that today.
A song to share with you all: Welcome to our world by Chris Rice. It's an old one, but it's one that's touched me for years, and I hope it'll do the same for you.
-------
Awakening
I was at one of the UIC services one Sunday, the one where Pastor Seth came to speak. It was a crazy moment - he didn't bring up his laptop! Instead, he just took out his Bible, opened up to a passage, and just started sharing what he thought God wanted him to share.
In the midst of his sermon, he started sharing something - he felt like the church at UIC needed to pray. To really come earnestly before God and seek Him in dependence. He threw out a number - 21 days.
21 days.
It wasn't until a few weeks later that Pastor Seth shared about Awakening. It's a movement started by one of the bigger churches in America, where they take 21 days every January to start the year in prayer. It spread, and Pastor Seth had a chance to take part in it. How could he not? Preaching on what he did, throwing out the number that he did, how could our church not take part in this?
Something big is going to happen. I'm not sure what it is, but when God moves, you move with Him, even if you're not sure what it is. And we need to pray. We, as a LIFE group, need to pray. We, as a church, need to pray.
I want this LIFE group to begin now in preparation for these 3 weeks of prayer. If we just decide to give up something when it starts, then we'll be legalistic about it - "Oh, I can't eat because I have to." Instead, what I'm hoping is we come to the point where we all can say, "God, we're giving this up because we want you more than we want this."
As funny as it sounds, it's a way of saying, "God, I want you more than I want chicken shack." And for me, being home, I really want chicken shack. But man, oh man, if we see a thing of God happen... how incredible!
I hope that we can all reflect these next few weeks on what the year has brought us, and where we are now. And I want to encourage everyone to bring prayer requests! Yes, this is a time for our church, but this is a time to bring any request to God - prayers for ourselves and maybe our growth, prayers for our LIFE group, prayers for our friends that are in need, prayers for our campus, prayers for our church...
It's an exciting time coming. But I hope we can all prepare for it so we can get the most out of our time of prayer together. We will give more direction as a group in the coming weeks, but please, I'm asking you to reflect on this past year, look forward to the year ahead, and ask God for blessings in everything that happens this year.
-------
Blog
A more personal announcement: the blog designs are done! Head over there to see them in all their glory and splendor -
Evanston
Downtown
Some things I wanted to bring your attention to:
- Missions Projects : Sign ups are located on the blogs for both summer and spring projects. Please consider these and talk with your parents about them. I want to challenge some of you especially about the summer. Steps of faith require action, and for some of you, the next step of faith would be to participate this summer in our inner-city projects. Prayerfully consider this.
- Winter Retreat : I don't have to sell this as much, but the link is on the blog as well. Last year was pretty awesome, undergrad retreat was pretty awesome, and this retreat is gonna be pretty awesome. And this is one of the last times we'll have to hear Pastor Seth share from his heart, especially with the Jakarta plant coming soon. Sign up soon, with your mounds of Christmas money I know some of you got for Christmas ;)
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That's all I have for now. Merry Christmas again, get your sleep in before winter quarter starts up, be good to your parents, and I'll see you in a week and a half =)
-Josh
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Hebrews 7
Ni Men Haoer,
Greetings from the land of jet laggyness.
Since I'm writing on Hebrews 7, I get to add a bit to Louisa's post and answer Levina's questions on Melchizedek.
Hebrews 7 is broken into 2 sections. "Melchizedek the Priest" and "Jesus Like Melchizedek."
Melchizedek the Priest
- Interestingly enough, not only was Melchizedek a priest of God, he was also the king of Salem (vv. 1).
- In being king of Salem, his title also meant "'king of righteousness'; then also...'king of peace.'" (vv. 2)
- Was so great of a ruler and so noble a king that even "Abraham gave him a tenth of everything." (vv. 2) Even the Bible states, "just think how great (Melchizedek) was." (vv. 4)
- "Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever." (vv. 3). Just as Jesus remains the Son of God throughout eternity, the Bible recognizes Melchizedek as God's priest for all of eternity.
- Worthy enough for Jesus to be compared with him (2nd section)
Jesus Like Melchizedek (Had a bit of difficulty with this portion)
- Unlike Aaron (the first high priest), a Levite, Melchizedek who was not a Levite was priest to Aaron the same way that Jesus, a Jew, is the ultimate high priest to everyone.
- Because we are unable to become completely pure through the Levitical priesthood (the laws in the Old Testament), "such a high priest meets our need - one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens." (vv. 27) In addition, "because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood." (vv. 25) the same way that God gave Melchizedek permanent priesthood.
If people would like to add on, please be my guest. I feel as if I haven't covered the entire 2nd half sufficiently.
Pu
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Hebrews 6
Hello, lovely Life Group. Hope the first week of break has been wonderful. I will share more about mine in a bit, but now: Hebrews 6.
What a difficult passage.
The first part (vv. 1-12) left one thought ringing in my mind:
How scary.
(vv. 4-8)
-Can a person, having experienced something so much like salvation, "fall away" to the point where "it is impossible to restore again to repentance"?
-Did that person truly believe to begin with, or were all their "spiritual experiences" just that, only experiences with no life-changing salvation?
-Are believers who "fall away" then doomed to two fates: fruitless faith -- oxymoron (v.8), or impossibility of restoration (v. 4)?
-Should this be taken literally, or is the writer only trying to make a point in highlighting the severity of having long-term immature faith (5:11-14, 6:1)?
These were some of my questions before reading several very helpful commentaries. I wrote them so that they might be a springboard for you guys to seek answers yourselves. I'm afraid if I answer the questions myself on this blog, I will either preach or misinterpret God's Word.
* (vv. 13-20)
An immensely blessing passage. Personally, I really needed these words; I drank them in and let the weight of their truth settle somewhere deep inside. I think I might never tire of reading it. Don't just take my word for it, please meditate on it too.
I hope this helped in some way for your guys' personal devotions with God.
- - - - -
My week was very good. And my week was absolutely miserable.
I guess with the bad news first. I've been sick since Tuesday. Yesterday was my worst sick day yet. I couldn't stop shaking, sniffling, and coughing. I "emptied my stomach of anything substantial" ...5 different times. My first meal since Thursday night was lunch today. I'm feeling better now though, so no worries.
My week was very good (up until being sick) because I got to catch up on reading and relax a little. On Thursday, my 3 closest friends surprised me by visiting me at home. Last night, my best friend Shea came to take care of me. Today, I went with Pastor Tom to a counselor's training meeting for the AF1 retreat. I'm not sure if I'm going yet -- I've been feeling very emotionally drained lately -- but PT is actually really understanding and is giving me time to pray/think about it. And I had a really good time just talking and hanging out with him today. :)
I have much more to do. I hate being sick because I'm just so immobilized by exhaustion. Hopefully this will go away very soon.
- - - - -
Wow, sorry for cutting this so close.
I didn't realize it took me this long to write a blog entry.
- - - - -
Now to go make Christmas goodie-bags for my adorable YG kids! :D
Have a wonderful remainder of break.
What a difficult passage.
The first part (vv. 1-12) left one thought ringing in my mind:
How scary.
(vv. 4-8)
-Can a person, having experienced something so much like salvation, "fall away" to the point where "it is impossible to restore again to repentance"?
-Did that person truly believe to begin with, or were all their "spiritual experiences" just that, only experiences with no life-changing salvation?
-Are believers who "fall away" then doomed to two fates: fruitless faith -- oxymoron (v.8), or impossibility of restoration (v. 4)?
-Should this be taken literally, or is the writer only trying to make a point in highlighting the severity of having long-term immature faith (5:11-14, 6:1)?
These were some of my questions before reading several very helpful commentaries. I wrote them so that they might be a springboard for you guys to seek answers yourselves. I'm afraid if I answer the questions myself on this blog, I will either preach or misinterpret God's Word.
* (vv. 13-20)
An immensely blessing passage. Personally, I really needed these words; I drank them in and let the weight of their truth settle somewhere deep inside. I think I might never tire of reading it. Don't just take my word for it, please meditate on it too.
I hope this helped in some way for your guys' personal devotions with God.
- - - - -
My week was very good. And my week was absolutely miserable.
I guess with the bad news first. I've been sick since Tuesday. Yesterday was my worst sick day yet. I couldn't stop shaking, sniffling, and coughing. I "emptied my stomach of anything substantial" ...5 different times. My first meal since Thursday night was lunch today. I'm feeling better now though, so no worries.
My week was very good (up until being sick) because I got to catch up on reading and relax a little. On Thursday, my 3 closest friends surprised me by visiting me at home. Last night, my best friend Shea came to take care of me. Today, I went with Pastor Tom to a counselor's training meeting for the AF1 retreat. I'm not sure if I'm going yet -- I've been feeling very emotionally drained lately -- but PT is actually really understanding and is giving me time to pray/think about it. And I had a really good time just talking and hanging out with him today. :)
I have much more to do. I hate being sick because I'm just so immobilized by exhaustion. Hopefully this will go away very soon.
- - - - -
Wow, sorry for cutting this so close.
I didn't realize it took me this long to write a blog entry.
- - - - -
Now to go make Christmas goodie-bags for my adorable YG kids! :D
Have a wonderful remainder of break.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Melchizedek
Melchizedek will be mentioned again, especially in Hebrews 7, where the relationship between Jesus and Melchizedek is made clearer.
Melchizedek first appears in Genesis 14. He is actually the first priest, not only that but high priest to be mentioned in the bible. He didn't come from the line of Levites. And he has no successor. It was significant that Jesus did not come from the priestly tribe of Levi (Aaron) but is compared to being the same kind of priest as Melchizedek. In Jewish genealogy Jesus came from the royal tribe of Judah (David), making him a King and a priest--like melchizedek.
hmm this is not really an in depth explanation, but I think reading Genesis 14, Psalm 110, and Hebrews 7 will help a lot in understanding why the author of Hebrews relates the two together. and an interesting side note--- tithing.. giving a tenth of what we have came from Melchizedek, not an original idea in levitic law.
happy reading! It's snowing like crazy in Jersey right now.
Melchizedek first appears in Genesis 14. He is actually the first priest, not only that but high priest to be mentioned in the bible. He didn't come from the line of Levites. And he has no successor. It was significant that Jesus did not come from the priestly tribe of Levi (Aaron) but is compared to being the same kind of priest as Melchizedek. In Jewish genealogy Jesus came from the royal tribe of Judah (David), making him a King and a priest--like melchizedek.
hmm this is not really an in depth explanation, but I think reading Genesis 14, Psalm 110, and Hebrews 7 will help a lot in understanding why the author of Hebrews relates the two together. and an interesting side note--- tithing.. giving a tenth of what we have came from Melchizedek, not an original idea in levitic law.
happy reading! It's snowing like crazy in Jersey right now.
Hebrews 5
Hellooooooo from Hong Kong, where it is still in t-shirt and flip-flops weather and (well I would like to say the sun is shining... boo but it is nighttime over here now so nvm that.)
Continuing from the end of ch4, Hebrews 5 talks about priesthood - the criteria and duties of a priest (vv. 1-3); how one is called to become a priest (vv. 4-6); and uses Jesus as an example (vv. 7-10).
It says in v3, 'This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people'.
This reminds me of the Sunday when Pastor Seth came to preach on the last part of the Re:turn series on repentance and forgiveness. Pastor Seth talked about the importance of collective repentance, and pointed out that leaders of the church should take responsibility of the sins committed by the church and repent 'for the people'.
V7 'During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission'.
In one of my quiet times a few weeks ago, I was reading Psalm 102, aka 'A prayer of one afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before God'. In the follow up reading, it says that worship is meant to be real and truthful, as exemplified by Jesus' 'loud cries and tears'.
Ok. This is probably not relevant to what this passage is saying, but I do think it is important to know that we should acknowledge our true feelings in our worship and prayers. By admitting our anger/sadness/anxieties etc to God, we cast these unwanted burdens on Him and let Him be in control of them.
vv 11-14 shifts the theme to our spiritual growth.
vv 13-14 'Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil'.
Ahhh. Foooood.
Milk vs. Solid Food.
I think 'milk' is learning the basics when we first heard the Gospel. It is relatively easy to digest, how we're loved and special in God's eyes; how we can do anything if we have faith and the right motives. We hear all the good things and are protected in this bubble. But we have to grow up. We can't be babies forever. We can't forever crawl on carpeted floors with every dangerous object taken out of our way. We can't forever lie in the crib and wait for someone to feed us. There comes the time when we have to exercise those muscles and start walking. We need to exercise our faith and practice the teachings we've heard Sunday after Sunday. This is when we start to ingest 'solid' food. We gain experience, some harder to digest than others - failures, disappointments... but these are the ones that can provide us with the essential nutrients that will help us grow stronger and more mature.
So yes. It's time to stop waiting open-mouthed for the church to feed us. It's time to really get up on our feet and hunt.
//
Hmm. Oh. Question.
v6, 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek'.
I had no idea what 'the order of Melchizedek' was, so I looked up Psalm 110:4 as quoted in the reference.
Psalm 110:4 -
The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind:
"You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."
...
Then I read the whole Psalm 110 but I still did not get what 'the order of Melchizedek' was supposed to mean.
Any insights? (If not... is it important? After all, it appeared twice in four verses)
Continuing from the end of ch4, Hebrews 5 talks about priesthood - the criteria and duties of a priest (vv. 1-3); how one is called to become a priest (vv. 4-6); and uses Jesus as an example (vv. 7-10).
It says in v3, 'This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people'.
This reminds me of the Sunday when Pastor Seth came to preach on the last part of the Re:turn series on repentance and forgiveness. Pastor Seth talked about the importance of collective repentance, and pointed out that leaders of the church should take responsibility of the sins committed by the church and repent 'for the people'.
V7 'During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission'.
In one of my quiet times a few weeks ago, I was reading Psalm 102, aka 'A prayer of one afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before God'. In the follow up reading, it says that worship is meant to be real and truthful, as exemplified by Jesus' 'loud cries and tears'.
Ok. This is probably not relevant to what this passage is saying, but I do think it is important to know that we should acknowledge our true feelings in our worship and prayers. By admitting our anger/sadness/anxieties etc to God, we cast these unwanted burdens on Him and let Him be in control of them.
vv 11-14 shifts the theme to our spiritual growth.
vv 13-14 'Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil'.
Ahhh. Foooood.
Milk vs. Solid Food.
I think 'milk' is learning the basics when we first heard the Gospel. It is relatively easy to digest, how we're loved and special in God's eyes; how we can do anything if we have faith and the right motives. We hear all the good things and are protected in this bubble. But we have to grow up. We can't be babies forever. We can't forever crawl on carpeted floors with every dangerous object taken out of our way. We can't forever lie in the crib and wait for someone to feed us. There comes the time when we have to exercise those muscles and start walking. We need to exercise our faith and practice the teachings we've heard Sunday after Sunday. This is when we start to ingest 'solid' food. We gain experience, some harder to digest than others - failures, disappointments... but these are the ones that can provide us with the essential nutrients that will help us grow stronger and more mature.
So yes. It's time to stop waiting open-mouthed for the church to feed us. It's time to really get up on our feet and hunt.
//
Hmm. Oh. Question.
v6, 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek'.
I had no idea what 'the order of Melchizedek' was, so I looked up Psalm 110:4 as quoted in the reference.
Psalm 110:4 -
The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind:
"You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."
...
Then I read the whole Psalm 110 but I still did not get what 'the order of Melchizedek' was supposed to mean.
Any insights? (If not... is it important? After all, it appeared twice in four verses)
guesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhatguesswhat??
SNOW DAY!!
Here in chicago, we're being snowed in. You guys in NJ...I think it's coming your way. I haven't had a snow day since...last year. haha, wahoooo!!!!!! This is the type of day when I wish school wasn't out so that we can all go sledding, make snow angels, a snow woman, a snow fort, or a snow slurpee. :)
I think i'll work on my grad school essays and order christmas presents online hoping that they'll deliver before the 24th. Santa's a procrastinator.
Haha, other chicago-ans, are you inside or outside today?
SNOW DAY!!
Here in chicago, we're being snowed in. You guys in NJ...I think it's coming your way. I haven't had a snow day since...last year. haha, wahoooo!!!!!! This is the type of day when I wish school wasn't out so that we can all go sledding, make snow angels, a snow woman, a snow fort, or a snow slurpee. :)
I think i'll work on my grad school essays and order christmas presents online hoping that they'll deliver before the 24th. Santa's a procrastinator.
Haha, other chicago-ans, are you inside or outside today?
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Hebrews 4
Good morning. Hope you've had good mornings, or days, or nights, wherever you are on this planet.
In general, Hebrews 4 continues the theme of "entering into God's rest", goes on to partially say how we may enter that rest, and ends with the exhortation to enter into that rest by holding fast to our confession that Jesus is the Son of God.
In vv. 1-2, the writer talks about how we as Christians must perservere the promise that God gave first the Israelites, then to all Jews and Gentiles who believe. The Israelites did not measure up to the promise because they failed to be "united by faith with those who listened" (v. 2). It doesn't help us Christians if we adopt the same attitude as those Israelites who received the message but "failed to reach" the rest promised us because of disobedience (v. 1, cf. v. 6).
The next passage was rather difficult for me to understand, so my thoughts on this will seem kind of fragmentary. The writer in vv. 3-10 gives somewhat of an ambiguous meaning of what "rest" in God is. Verse 3 emphasizes the importance of faith, saying that "we who have believed enter that rest", not "we who have received the message". Verse 4 describes what God's rest is, referencing Genesis 2:2, where God rests on the seventh day of Creation. I agree with the Expositer's Commentary's interpretation in that this means that He is resting in the knowledge that all He created was very good and taking satisfaction from that, not that He is idly lounging about. In vv. 5-7, the writer talks of the fulfillment of God's promise. The original generation to whom He gave it (i.e., the "wilderness" generation of Israelites who were led out of Egypt) and the writer's contemporaries (i.e., Christians of the 1st century A.D.). I think verse 7 is most illuminating about this. The writer quotes Psalm 95:11, something David wrote: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts". The use of the word "today" stresses the urgency with which we must act on our faith. We cannot be complacent and apathetic in our faith, but active and alert. Then we enter the hard part, at least for me. Verse 8-10 concludes this section by directly addressing the rest that is promised to those who believe. Verse 8 talks of Joshua, which is the Hebrew name of the Greek name "Jesus"; I don't think it refers to Jesus though, because it says "For if Joshua had given them rest", which is a contrary-to-fact condition - Joshua, the successor of Moses, didn't lead them into God's rest did he? Then, in vv. 9-10, the writer talks about rest as a "Sabbath rest", a kind of rest from works, just as God rested after Creation. It is indeed a promise, but one gained through faith and not from mere reception. Hopefully what I wrote about vv. 3-10 was not too...obfuscated.
I like the next passage. It speaks of how we should work to enter the promised rest. It is through God's Word (Jesus is also known as God's Word). Verse 12: "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." I don't think God's Word is literally cutting us to pieces, but does in fact penetrate our innermost being. It convicts us when we read it, because it speaks truth! This is how we may "strive to enter that rest" so that we may not "fall by the same sort of disobedience" [as the Israelites did] (v. 11). We are all completely exposed before God and eventually we will have to give an account to Him (v. 13).
Okay, deep breath. Almost done.
The writer writes in verses 14-16 about Jesus as the "Great High Priest". This is a reference to the Jewish custom of the High Priest offering sacrfices on the "Day of Atonement"; it is not just any priest who does this, but the High Priest. And our High Priest is Jesus, who has given the perfect sacrifice for all sins. Verse 15 also says that we don't have an arrogant High Priest who holds himself holier than the people to whom he ministers - He is "one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (v. 15). Jesus is divine, but also fully human and did not succumb like we do to temptations and the deceitfulness of sin. So, in a hortatory sentence, the writer concludes that we should approach the throne of grace in confidence (i.e., in faith), "that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (v. 16).
I got the most out of vv. 11-13. If you notice throughout Hebrews, the writer references many verses from the Old Testament to support the argument expounded in this letter. The writer knows the Word of God well and uses it to defend the faith. This is how we should read the Bible as well. Actively. Alertly. With a mind and attitude towards knowing God and not just reading. We'll also know what God wants us to do, what disobedience to God means. We'll know how sin affects us as inviduals and collectively as the community of the Church. I could go on listing things, but I think the point is pretty much there.
It's very easy to not read. Especially since we're on break. But if we don't read even on break...how will we read when we're busy with school? With a job? With a family? And it's not enough to read and know. We have to do it. Just like Josh likes to say. Do it.
Thanks for reading. I know I wrote a lot.
- Tim
In general, Hebrews 4 continues the theme of "entering into God's rest", goes on to partially say how we may enter that rest, and ends with the exhortation to enter into that rest by holding fast to our confession that Jesus is the Son of God.
In vv. 1-2, the writer talks about how we as Christians must perservere the promise that God gave first the Israelites, then to all Jews and Gentiles who believe. The Israelites did not measure up to the promise because they failed to be "united by faith with those who listened" (v. 2). It doesn't help us Christians if we adopt the same attitude as those Israelites who received the message but "failed to reach" the rest promised us because of disobedience (v. 1, cf. v. 6).
The next passage was rather difficult for me to understand, so my thoughts on this will seem kind of fragmentary. The writer in vv. 3-10 gives somewhat of an ambiguous meaning of what "rest" in God is. Verse 3 emphasizes the importance of faith, saying that "we who have believed enter that rest", not "we who have received the message". Verse 4 describes what God's rest is, referencing Genesis 2:2, where God rests on the seventh day of Creation. I agree with the Expositer's Commentary's interpretation in that this means that He is resting in the knowledge that all He created was very good and taking satisfaction from that, not that He is idly lounging about. In vv. 5-7, the writer talks of the fulfillment of God's promise. The original generation to whom He gave it (i.e., the "wilderness" generation of Israelites who were led out of Egypt) and the writer's contemporaries (i.e., Christians of the 1st century A.D.). I think verse 7 is most illuminating about this. The writer quotes Psalm 95:11, something David wrote: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts". The use of the word "today" stresses the urgency with which we must act on our faith. We cannot be complacent and apathetic in our faith, but active and alert. Then we enter the hard part, at least for me. Verse 8-10 concludes this section by directly addressing the rest that is promised to those who believe. Verse 8 talks of Joshua, which is the Hebrew name of the Greek name "Jesus"; I don't think it refers to Jesus though, because it says "For if Joshua had given them rest", which is a contrary-to-fact condition - Joshua, the successor of Moses, didn't lead them into God's rest did he? Then, in vv. 9-10, the writer talks about rest as a "Sabbath rest", a kind of rest from works, just as God rested after Creation. It is indeed a promise, but one gained through faith and not from mere reception. Hopefully what I wrote about vv. 3-10 was not too...obfuscated.
I like the next passage. It speaks of how we should work to enter the promised rest. It is through God's Word (Jesus is also known as God's Word). Verse 12: "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." I don't think God's Word is literally cutting us to pieces, but does in fact penetrate our innermost being. It convicts us when we read it, because it speaks truth! This is how we may "strive to enter that rest" so that we may not "fall by the same sort of disobedience" [as the Israelites did] (v. 11). We are all completely exposed before God and eventually we will have to give an account to Him (v. 13).
Okay, deep breath. Almost done.
The writer writes in verses 14-16 about Jesus as the "Great High Priest". This is a reference to the Jewish custom of the High Priest offering sacrfices on the "Day of Atonement"; it is not just any priest who does this, but the High Priest. And our High Priest is Jesus, who has given the perfect sacrifice for all sins. Verse 15 also says that we don't have an arrogant High Priest who holds himself holier than the people to whom he ministers - He is "one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (v. 15). Jesus is divine, but also fully human and did not succumb like we do to temptations and the deceitfulness of sin. So, in a hortatory sentence, the writer concludes that we should approach the throne of grace in confidence (i.e., in faith), "that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (v. 16).
I got the most out of vv. 11-13. If you notice throughout Hebrews, the writer references many verses from the Old Testament to support the argument expounded in this letter. The writer knows the Word of God well and uses it to defend the faith. This is how we should read the Bible as well. Actively. Alertly. With a mind and attitude towards knowing God and not just reading. We'll also know what God wants us to do, what disobedience to God means. We'll know how sin affects us as inviduals and collectively as the community of the Church. I could go on listing things, but I think the point is pretty much there.
It's very easy to not read. Especially since we're on break. But if we don't read even on break...how will we read when we're busy with school? With a job? With a family? And it's not enough to read and know. We have to do it. Just like Josh likes to say. Do it.
Thanks for reading. I know I wrote a lot.
- Tim
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Hebrews 3
hey all :)
i hope your breaks are going well and that you are finding rest. chapter 3 of Hebrews talks quite a bit about entering into God's rest.
here are some points as I was studying it.
un: Hebrews 3 starts with Jesus being greater than Moses. (Hebrews 1 & 2 talked about Jesus being greater than the prophets and Jesus being greater than the angels.) The author is clearly distinguishing Jesus --- but not in any way that belittles Moses --- by claiming his superiority.
deux: In the Old Testament, the Israelites led by Moses in the desert were not able to enter into rest because of their disobedience to God. And so the author here also warns us about not "entering into rest". It is rest in a spiritual sense. (And another point, more relevant to the Jews back then, the author is saying that following the old Jewish ways will not be the entry into God's rest, but it is only through following Christ.)
trois: Even though God offers rest to his people, there are some who will still rebel. So let us encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of us may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
---the word "daily" means that encouragement should be habitual
---the word "Today" makes this urgent for today does not last forever.
--- and sin IS deceitful.
quatre: The author is building a case for Jesus as Christ from old testament passages to basically prove to the Jews that He is the Messiah! And so, if He is the Messiah, they must make a decision to live their lives as Christians, even endure persecution. Yes, it'd be easier to stay living in their Jewish customs and traditions because it was under Rome's official protection, but Jesus is the Christ!
----------
I'll update on my family in another post.
And please pray for me as I write my essays for Audiology programs.
I'm applying to NU and Pittsburgh for sure, and possibly Wash U as well.
i hope your breaks are going well and that you are finding rest. chapter 3 of Hebrews talks quite a bit about entering into God's rest.
here are some points as I was studying it.
un: Hebrews 3 starts with Jesus being greater than Moses. (Hebrews 1 & 2 talked about Jesus being greater than the prophets and Jesus being greater than the angels.) The author is clearly distinguishing Jesus --- but not in any way that belittles Moses --- by claiming his superiority.
deux: In the Old Testament, the Israelites led by Moses in the desert were not able to enter into rest because of their disobedience to God. And so the author here also warns us about not "entering into rest". It is rest in a spiritual sense. (And another point, more relevant to the Jews back then, the author is saying that following the old Jewish ways will not be the entry into God's rest, but it is only through following Christ.)
trois: Even though God offers rest to his people, there are some who will still rebel. So let us encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of us may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
---the word "daily" means that encouragement should be habitual
---the word "Today" makes this urgent for today does not last forever.
--- and sin IS deceitful.
quatre: The author is building a case for Jesus as Christ from old testament passages to basically prove to the Jews that He is the Messiah! And so, if He is the Messiah, they must make a decision to live their lives as Christians, even endure persecution. Yes, it'd be easier to stay living in their Jewish customs and traditions because it was under Rome's official protection, but Jesus is the Christ!
----------
I'll update on my family in another post.
And please pray for me as I write my essays for Audiology programs.
I'm applying to NU and Pittsburgh for sure, and possibly Wash U as well.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Hebrews 2
Hebrews is incredibly difficult for me. Probably because it's so....logical. Anyways, I'm still really excited to be reading this over break because about two years ago, when I heard that my college church was going through the book of hebrews for bible study, I decided to purchase the book they were using, the NIV application commentary on the book of hebrews! Here I am two years later and I'm finally reading it with life group!
Better late than never, right?
Chapter 2. My questions after reading the NIV, NASB, and the message:
1. What message spoken by angels?
2. Salvation was a) announced by God, b) "confirmed" by those who heard (accepted?) [Message said that salvation was "passed on to us by those who heard it from him"]...different. Confirmed means those who heard it and testified to it. The audience of Hebrews did not hear Jesus firsthand. c) proven by signs, wonders, gifts of the H.S.
3. God has subjected the world to come to man.
4. What does it mean, "little lower than the angels?" talking of man or Jesus?
5. Jesus was made little lower than angels AND was glorified. Man was made little lower than angels and will BE glorified (it has not yet come to pass).
6. How was Jesus "perfected" by suffering? Verse 18- Jesus suffered when he was tempted. Jesus became the perfect mediator and representative of man to God (priest) because he too was tempted, tested, tried, suffered.
7. Jesus calls us his brothers.
Now here are some conclusions after reading the passage/commentary and some application in my own life:
1. The God of the bible is the same throughout it. Some christians have the mindset that the OT God was one of punishment and wrath while the NT God is one of grace and forgiveness. We see here that the author says, if the God of the OT and the old covenant did not spare punishment for a lesser revelation of salvation, what will he do now that there is a greater revelation through JC? (Rhetorical answer: the punishment will be greater.) The punishment for drifting is not specific but it is there.
For my own personal life, this is actually especially relevant. Sure, I don't face the same persecution and harsh life to turn from the true Gospel and true Christianity as the audience of Hebrews did. But I do very much face the materialism and pleasures of this world that tempt me to turn from the true Gospel and true Christianity. I like how the word is "drifting." It's something that happens, not necessarily intentionally, but slowly and gradually. To catch oneself drifting is very frightening. I do not want to drift back and forth but to be living with purpose, truth; I do not want to be told that according to the length of time I've been a Christian, I should be bearing more fruit (later on in Hebrews) but instead I'm still a babe. I want to be growing in God each year no matter how old I get.
2. Everything is subjected to Christ. And everything WILL be subjected to Christ. And Earth will be subjected to man. The kingdom of God has come but it is not yet complete. Here but not yet...
3. The incarnation is really important. Really. How fitting that we're doing this over Chrismas break! Without Christ becoming man, he would not be the perfect mediator. He would not be a perfect mediator between man and God if he did not know temptation, testing, trials, and suffering. He wouldn't be "the way" if he did not come, make himself one of us, and then showed us the way to the Father - living through trust. We would not be his children/brothers. Finally, he wouldn't have experienced death and conquered it if he didn't become human or "made little lower than angels."
Incarnational ministry. Hard stuff. Can I become like someone else, to try to understand where they are coming from, how they think, and what they think about Christ and try to point them to Christ from there?
I think this post is long and nerdy enough. Today, I was thankful for:
1. AAA saying that renewing my car insurance might be lower than the price they originally gave me.
2. The food that God provided me - Curry in the morning and subway at lunch and free cookies and coffee in the afternoon!
3. The encouragement/rebuke from Hebrews and from God.
Better late than never, right?
Chapter 2. My questions after reading the NIV, NASB, and the message:
1. What message spoken by angels?
2. Salvation was a) announced by God, b) "confirmed" by those who heard (accepted?) [Message said that salvation was "passed on to us by those who heard it from him"]...different. Confirmed means those who heard it and testified to it. The audience of Hebrews did not hear Jesus firsthand. c) proven by signs, wonders, gifts of the H.S.
3. God has subjected the world to come to man.
4. What does it mean, "little lower than the angels?" talking of man or Jesus?
5. Jesus was made little lower than angels AND was glorified. Man was made little lower than angels and will BE glorified (it has not yet come to pass).
6. How was Jesus "perfected" by suffering? Verse 18- Jesus suffered when he was tempted. Jesus became the perfect mediator and representative of man to God (priest) because he too was tempted, tested, tried, suffered.
7. Jesus calls us his brothers.
Now here are some conclusions after reading the passage/commentary and some application in my own life:
1. The God of the bible is the same throughout it. Some christians have the mindset that the OT God was one of punishment and wrath while the NT God is one of grace and forgiveness. We see here that the author says, if the God of the OT and the old covenant did not spare punishment for a lesser revelation of salvation, what will he do now that there is a greater revelation through JC? (Rhetorical answer: the punishment will be greater.) The punishment for drifting is not specific but it is there.
For my own personal life, this is actually especially relevant. Sure, I don't face the same persecution and harsh life to turn from the true Gospel and true Christianity as the audience of Hebrews did. But I do very much face the materialism and pleasures of this world that tempt me to turn from the true Gospel and true Christianity. I like how the word is "drifting." It's something that happens, not necessarily intentionally, but slowly and gradually. To catch oneself drifting is very frightening. I do not want to drift back and forth but to be living with purpose, truth; I do not want to be told that according to the length of time I've been a Christian, I should be bearing more fruit (later on in Hebrews) but instead I'm still a babe. I want to be growing in God each year no matter how old I get.
2. Everything is subjected to Christ. And everything WILL be subjected to Christ. And Earth will be subjected to man. The kingdom of God has come but it is not yet complete. Here but not yet...
3. The incarnation is really important. Really. How fitting that we're doing this over Chrismas break! Without Christ becoming man, he would not be the perfect mediator. He would not be a perfect mediator between man and God if he did not know temptation, testing, trials, and suffering. He wouldn't be "the way" if he did not come, make himself one of us, and then showed us the way to the Father - living through trust. We would not be his children/brothers. Finally, he wouldn't have experienced death and conquered it if he didn't become human or "made little lower than angels."
Incarnational ministry. Hard stuff. Can I become like someone else, to try to understand where they are coming from, how they think, and what they think about Christ and try to point them to Christ from there?
I think this post is long and nerdy enough. Today, I was thankful for:
1. AAA saying that renewing my car insurance might be lower than the price they originally gave me.
2. The food that God provided me - Curry in the morning and subway at lunch and free cookies and coffee in the afternoon!
3. The encouragement/rebuke from Hebrews and from God.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Secret Santa Questionaire
To "help" out your secret santa (who have not been assigned yet so be sure to read all the responses!)
answer as little or as many questions below!
Even if you are not participating, feel free to join in on the fun so we can get to know you better!
and it is EUGENIA who will be drawing the names!!
1. Do you have any allergies? care to share an episode?answer as little or as many questions below!
Even if you are not participating, feel free to join in on the fun so we can get to know you better!
and it is EUGENIA who will be drawing the names!!
2. what's something people don't know about you?
3. Sports or activities you participate in in high school?
4. What is your favorite time of year?
5. Who's your favorite person in the world?6. what kind of Christmas cookie would u be?
7. Where do want to travel to?
8. New year's resolution?
9. What character from a novel, movie, etc most resembles you?
10. any pet peeves?
Again there are two simple guidelines
1. Time Limit: now till 1/5/2009
2. Money Limit: Around $10
3. Word/Talk Limit: Zero. sworn to secrecy
4. Excitement/surprises/smiles/hugs during and after secret santa limit: none. go all out.
C u guys in 2009!
Happy Giving
Hewbrews 1
Greetings from the land of mid-60 degree weather! I don't know what's wrong with New Jersey, but I'm not complaining. =) I just got back home after an hour-delay flight, cheesesteaks from Pat's and Geno's, pho in Vietnamese town, and finally back in my home. I can't say it doesn't feel a little surreal, like I can't believe I'm actually here, but it does feel nice to be with my family.
Hebrews 1:
As a lead worshipper / band leader / whatever it is I feel like calling what I do this week, I am absolutely in love with this chapter. I would love to write a worship song the way Paul writes these letters. "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." (verse 3a). Amazing.
Some thoughts regarding this passage:
- His audience is clearly Jewish. He speaks of "forefathers" and "prophets".
- Being Jewish, the audience already has a good idea that God is the ultimate King, ie that God has more authority than kings, rulers, Hecules, Superman...
- It's possible that the audience didn't accept Jesus as God, only Jesus as teacher, in which case it would make sense that Paul wanted to firmly establish Jesus as God.
I would write more, but Paul writes a lot better than I can. Read it! It's really awesome.
From the wonderful trashland that is New Jersey..
-Josh
Hebrews 1:
As a lead worshipper / band leader / whatever it is I feel like calling what I do this week, I am absolutely in love with this chapter. I would love to write a worship song the way Paul writes these letters. "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." (verse 3a). Amazing.
Some thoughts regarding this passage:
- His audience is clearly Jewish. He speaks of "forefathers" and "prophets".
- Being Jewish, the audience already has a good idea that God is the ultimate King, ie that God has more authority than kings, rulers, Hecules, Superman...
- It's possible that the audience didn't accept Jesus as God, only Jesus as teacher, in which case it would make sense that Paul wanted to firmly establish Jesus as God.
I would write more, but Paul writes a lot better than I can. Read it! It's really awesome.
From the wonderful trashland that is New Jersey..
-Josh
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