Tag Archives: Jesus

02/13/12

Hebrews 3: 1-15 Part One

  Hebrews 3: 1-15

Jesus Is Greater Than Moses

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and[a] are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger[b] and High Priest. 2 For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire[c]house.

 3 But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. 4For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.

  5 Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. 6 But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.[d]

 7That is why the Holy Spirit says, 

   “Today when you hear his voice,
    8 don’t harden your hearts
   as Israel did when they rebelled,
      when they tested me in the wilderness.
 9 There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
      even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
 10 So I was angry with them, and I said,
   ‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
      They refuse to do what I tell them.’
 11 So in my anger I took an oath:
      ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”[e]

 12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters.[f] Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. 14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. 15Remember what it says:

   “Today when you hear his voice,
      don’t harden your hearts
      as Israel did when they rebelled.”[g]

 16 And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? 18 And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? 19So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.

 Footnotes:

  1. Hebrews 3:1 Greek And so, holy brothers who.
  2. Hebrews 3:1 Greek God’s apostle.
  3. Hebrews 3:2 Some manuscripts do not include entire.
  4. Hebrews 3:6 Some manuscripts add faithful to the end.
  5. Hebrews 3:11 Ps 95:7-11.
  6. Hebrews 3:12 Greek brothers.
  7. Hebrews 3:15 Ps 95:7-8.

HEBREWS 3: 1-5

The Book of Hebrews is one of the most beautiful and inspirational books in The Bible. Historians and theologians insist that the author of Hebrews can be conjectured but not determined. Yet as we read the article below–many clues point to either the Apostle Paul or his students/companions. The Authorship  is ultimately God’s Holy Spirit. When you factor out man, Scripture points to GOD.  

The following article was retrieved on February 13, 2012 from www.gotquestions.org on the world-wide web.

Who Wrote The Book of Hebrews? Who Was The Author of Hebrews?

Question: “Who wrote the Book of Hebrews? Who was the author of Hebrews?”
Answer: Theologically speaking, scholars generally regard the book of Hebrews to be second in importance only to Paul’s letter to the Romans in the New Testament. No other book so eloquently defines Christ as high priest of Christianity, superior to the Aaronic priesthood, and the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. This book presents Christ as the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). However, both the authorship and audience are in question.

The title, “To the Hebrews,” which appears in the earliest known copy of the epistle is not a part of the original manuscript. There is no salutation, the letter simply begins with the assertion that Jesus, the Son of God, has appeared, atoned for our sins, and is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven (Hebrews 1:1-4).

The letter closes with the words “Grace be with you all” (Hebrews 13:25), which is the same closing found in each of Paul’s known letters (see Romans 16:20; 1 Corinthians 16:23; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 6:18; Ephesians 6:24; Philippians 4:23; Colossians 4:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:18; 1 Timothy 6:21; 2 Timothy 4:22; Titus 3:15; and Philemon 25). However, it should be noted that Peter (1 Peter 5:14; 2 Peter 3:18) used similar—though not identical—closings. Possibly that it was simply customary to close letters like this with the words “Grace be with you all” during this time period.

Church tradition teaches that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, and until the 1800s, that issue was closed. However, though a vast majority of Christians—both and scholars and the laity—still believe Paul wrote the book, there are some tempting reasons to think otherwise.

First and foremost is the lack of a salutation. Some sort of personal salutation from Paul appears in all of his letters. So it would seem that writing anonymously is not his usual method; therefore, the reasoning goes, Hebrews cannot be one of his letters. Second, the overall composition and style is of a person who is a very sophisticated writer. Even though he was certainly a sophisticated communicator, Paul stated that he purposely did not speak with a commanding vocabulary (1 Corinthians 1:17; 2:1; 2 Corinthians 11:6).

The book of Hebrews quotes extensively from the Old Testament. Paul, as a Pharisee, would have been familiar with the Scripture in its original Hebrew language. In other letters, Paul either quotes the Masoretic Text (the original Hebrew) or paraphrases it. However, all of the quotes in this epistle are taken out of the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament), which is inconsistent with Paul’s usage. Finally, Paul was an apostle who claimed to receive his revelations directly from the Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:23; Galatians 1:12). The writer of Hebrews specifically says that he was taught by an apostle (Hebrews 2:3).

If Paul didn’t write the letter, who did? The most plausible suggestion is that this was actually a sermon Paul gave and it was transcribed later by Luke, a person who would have had the command of the Greek language which the writer shows. Barnabas is another likely prospect, since he was a Levite and would have been speaking on a subject that he knew much about. Martin Luther suggested Apollos, since he would have had the education the writer of this letter must have had. Priscilla and Clemet of Rome have been suggested by other scholars.

However, there is still much evidence that Paul wrote the letter. The most compelling comes from Scripture itself. Remember that Peter wrote to the Hebrews (that is, the Jews; see Galatians 2:7, 9 and 1 Peter 1:1). Peter wrote: “…just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him [emphasis added]” (2 Peter 3:15). In that last verse, Peter is confirming that Paul had also written a letter to the Hebrews!

The theology presented in Hebrews is consistent with Paul’s. Paul was a proponent of salvation by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8, 9), and that message is strongly communicated in this epistle (Hebrews 4:2, 6:12, 10:19-22, 10:37-39, and 11:1-40). Either Paul wrote the epistle, or the writer was trained by Paul. Although it is a small detail, this epistle makes mention of Timothy (Hebrews 13:23), and Paul is the only apostle known to have ever done that in any letter.

So, who actually wrote Hebrews? The letter fills a needed space in Scripture and both outlines our faith and defines faith itself in the same way that Romans defines the tenets of Christian living. It closes the chapters of faith alone and serves as a prelude to the chapters on good works built on a foundation of faith in God. In short, this book belongs in the Bible. Therefore, its human author is unimportant. What is important is to treat the book as inspired Scripture as defined in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The Holy Spirit was the divine author of Hebrews, and of all Scripture, even though we don’t know who put the physical pen to the physical paper and traced the words.

    

Authorship defined, let us examine Hebrews 3: 1-15 as a declaration of the Sovereignty of Christ. When Jesus was ministering on earth there were many occasions when the High Priests and synagogue leaders  questioned His deity based upon their concept of Abraham as their Father and Moses as the deliverer of the Jews. Mankind finds comfort in religious thoughts, religious ceremony, and rules because it makes life safe and predictable. Jesus came to question every unGodly rule that had crept it’s way, over time, into the Hebraic religious system.

While speaking in the temple Jesus declared in Luke 4: 18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them who are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord”.

The Scribes and Pharisees could not accept this from Jesus. Even though Israel had been anticipating the Messiah for many centuries they failed to see Him when He appeared because they were looking for a warrior King such as David. They were caught up in their traditions so religiously that their eyes were blinded; their ears deafened; and their  spirits barren.

To be continued…

01/16/12

Psalm 53 David Expounded

 Psalm 53

 For the director of music. According to mahalath.[b] A maskil[c] of David.

 1 The fool says in his heart,
   “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
   there is no one who does good.

 2 God looks down from heaven
   on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
   any who seek God.
3 Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
   there is no one who does good,
   not even one.

 4Do all these evildoers know nothing?

   They devour my people as though eating bread;
   they never call on God.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
   where there was nothing to dread.
God scattered the bones of those who attacked you;
   you put them to shame, for God despised them.

 6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
   When God restores his people,
   let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 53:1 In Hebrew texts 53:1-6 is numbered 53:2-7.
  2. Psalm 53:1 Title: Probably a musical term
  3. Psalm 53:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term

I find it so amazing that these words expressed by the Psalmist echo through time to our present age as a testimony of the nature of man. We read in Scripture that GOD does not change. Sadly, neither does mankind.

Yes, we do change in our outer lives–some prosper and accumulate wordly wealth. Others may prosper and accumulate spiritual wealth. In some cases both forms of wealth are realized–but mankind has this tendency to stick to a basic, selfish nature. “The fool says in his heart, “There is no GOD”. Verse 1a. This obviously happened long ago and is still happening today. That is the reason why we still need a Savior to intervene and stand in the gap for us. Jesus is our intercessor, and He is the one who declares the reality and righteousness of the Father. We have a warrior King on our side, and even within this historical timeframe; because of this historical timeframe; it is even more desperately important to see that the Kingdom of GOD is presented to the masses, and that the people are given opportunity for redemption and salvation.

David saw into the heart of man because of his own human experiences. He also saw into the heart of GOD because of his own spiritual encounters with GOD and personal deliverance. David speaks frankly and fervently here. He knows the mercy of GOD’s Spirit–the Comfort of His presence.

“God looks down from Heaven on all mankind, to see if there are any who understand, any who seek GOD”  Verse 2.  This statement was relevant tn David’s time–it is also relevant in our own time.        Charlene

 

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09/20/11

Psalm 88 A Cry of Affliction

 

 

All of us suffer through moments of despair and indecision when it seems as if everything familiar has been taken away. If we do not listen well to heed the call of GOD’s Holy Spirit on our comings and goings then GOD will move us. There is so much work still to be done in the Name of Jesus Christ. Do not kick against the pricks but move steadily forward in Him.  Charlene

 

Psalm 88

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 88[a]

    A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth.[b] A maskil[c] of Heman the Ezrahite.

 1 LORD, you are the God who saves me;
   day and night I cry out to you.
2 May my prayer come before you;
   turn your ear to my cry.

 3 I am overwhelmed with troubles
   and my life draws near to death.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
   I am like one without strength.
5 I am set apart with the dead,
   like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
   who are cut off from your care.

 6 You have put me in the lowest pit,
   in the darkest depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavily on me;
   you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.[d]
8 You have taken from me my closest friends
   and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
 9my eyes are dim with grief.

   I call to you, LORD, every day;
   I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you show your wonders to the dead?
   Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
11 Is your love declared in the grave,
   your faithfulness in Destruction[e]?
12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
   or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

 13 But I cry to you for help, LORD;
   in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 Why, LORD, do you reject me
   and hide your face from me?

 15 From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
   I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
   your terrors have destroyed me.
17 All day long they surround me like a flood;
   they have completely engulfed me.
18 You have taken from me friend and neighbor—
   darkness is my closest friend.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 88:1 In Hebrew texts 88:1-18 is numbered 88:2-19.
  2. Psalm 88:1 Title: Possibly a tune, “The Suffering of Affliction”
  3. Psalm 88:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  4. Psalm 88:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 10.
  5. Psalm 88:11 Hebrew Abaddon
05/20/11

Psalm 64

Psalm 64 (New International Version)

Satan walks around seeking who he can devour. We have to continually look to Jesus, our Savior, for strength, guidance, and Godly relationship. When it seems as if all things are coming against you, remember whose child you are and let God’s Holy Spirit bring comfort into your life.

Charlene

Psalm 64

Psalm 64[a]

    For the director of music. A psalm of David.

 1 Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;
   protect my life from the threat of the enemy.

 2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
   from the plots of evildoers.
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords
   and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
   they shoot suddenly, without fear.

 5 They encourage each other in evil plans,
   they talk about hiding their snares;
   they say, “Who will see it[b]?”
6 They plot injustice and say,
   “We have devised a perfect plan!”
   Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

 7 But God will shoot them with his arrows;
   they will suddenly be struck down.
8 He will turn their own tongues against them
   and bring them to ruin;
   all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
9 All people will fear;
   they will proclaim the works of God
   and ponder what he has done.

 10 The righteous will rejoice in the LORD
   and take refuge in him;
   all the upright in heart will glory in him! 

Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 64:1 In Hebrew texts 64:1-10 is numbered 64:2-11.
  2. Psalm 64:5 Or us

Charlene’s Source: Bible Gateway  Holy Scriptures  NIV Version

03/24/10

What Is the Power In a Name? Part 1

Revised February 2016

 

That a name can have spiritual power is understood from the Holy Bible. It is through the power in the name Jesus Christ that heavens are moved and the earth is shaken. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved”  Acts: 5:12 NIV

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him”. NIV

 

 The origin and meaning of the name of our LORD, Jesus is rooted in the Hebrew Yehoshua or Yeshua of which the English form is Joshua.  This is taken from the Latin “Iesus”, an anglicized form of the Greek “Yesous”. “Yeho” is in reference to YHVH, Yod-He-Vav-He, the Tetragrammaton, GOD’s four letter name. 

 

Literally translated Yeshua means “GOD is salvation” thus revealing the Father’s plan in naming His Son, Jesus. Salvation is in His name. Acts 10:37-38 states: “You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached–how GOD anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because GOD was with Him” NIV. Anointing through GOD’s Holy Spirit is a consecrated act of setting apart the individual for service in the work of a Holy GOD.  Jesus was epitomized through the meaning of His name. Since we are made in GOD’s image I believe that we would be the same.

As we explore this teaching together, we will be examining how Jesus’ name and our own name form a covenant partnership, and how we are led to be what is expressed in the meaning of our name. Does your name have a negative meaning or no apparent meaning at all? We will explore how what we believe, say, and do can influence the meaning of a name.

What is in a name? I have always been fascinated by the field of etymology (word origins and meanings) especially the meaning of names. My own name, Charlene, has never been the most popular on the baby name list. However, in my own family it has a significant meaning and contains a morsel of family history.

 The Korean War came on the heels of World War II. My Uncle Charles was deployed in 1950 to serve in Korea, and my mother, Irene, in an effort to preserve what they meant to each other as siblings, combined Charles and Irene to form my name, Charlene. What was interesting was the fact that she did not know that the name already existed. Charlene was such a rarity that when I met a schoolmate in the eighth grade named Charleen–she was the first person I had met with a form of my own name. Since that time I have discovered many people named Charlene, but it is still difficult to find my name on curios or placards.

It took several years into my adulthood before I felt compelled to search for the word origin and meaning of my name.

Charlene is a feminine form of Charles, which is a French name meaning “a manly freeman; a warrior”, so Charlene as a female diminutive means “a  womanly free woman; a warrior”. I could stop there except I must include the meaning of Irene. “Irene” is of Greek origin and means “peace”. Therefore, when combining the two names I get the meaning “free woman warrior of peace”. What a wonderful legacy! All that I wish to be is expressed in my name, and through the power of Christ I can  live according to the name given to me by the leading of the LORD.

Surnames are also important, so I am going to explain the meaning of the name Kirst. Some find it hard to pronounce this name, especially if they haven’t seen it in its written form. Therefore they mistakenly pronounce it “cursed” which is not it’s true meaning or pronunciation. There is a t at the end of Kirst ( pronounced Kurst or Keerst) which gives a clear, crisp ending to this name. My husband’s family for generations has pronounced this name Kirst(Kurst). I tell people, “you’re first with Kirst” as a guide to pronunciation.

The name Kirst had its origin in Northern Germany. It is a short form of the name Kirsten which derives from the Greek name of Christian.   This is derived from the Greek “Christos” which means “anointed”, which is rooted in “chrio”–“to anoint”.  In the Hebrew “Christos” means “Messiah”. There is a clear connection between Christ and Kirst, a wonderful covenant relationship that I pray will go on for as many generations as GOD has ordained.

My family has a book called “The Book of Kirsts” which contains everything about Kirst that you can imagine.  The meaning of the name as defined in that book is “descendants of followers of Christ”. Rejoice! Rejoice!  Now I can say that my name means “a free woman warrior of peace who is grafted into a family that follows Christ“. Hallelujah!! This revelation comes with responsibility to live what this name means. Since I have the name through adoption into this family (marriage) it reminds me of how I am adopted into the inheritance of Christ and therefore into all of the privileges and power of His name.

Everyone has meaning to their name. I hope that this will encourage you to seek that meaning, and to use wisdom when prayerfully choosing names for your children.

Part 2 of this teaching will concentrate on how our actions influence the meaning of our name.

May GOD Bless You.   Charlene


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