I was reading through Hebrews 6-10 today, and was struck with awe and gladness at the repeated superiority of Jesus over every alternative belief and value. Starting in chapter 6, the author of Hebrews uses the word "better" an astounding TEN times (not to mention all the times in the first six chapters when he says Jesus is "greater" or "worthy of more honor"). Clearly, Jesus is pretty freakin awesome. So here are 7 reasons from Hebrews why Jesus is better:
Jesus is a better hope. "A better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God." ~7:19
Jesus guarantees a better covenant. "This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant." ~7:22
Jesus offers better promises. "The covenant He mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises." ~8:6
Jesus was a better sacrifice. "It was necessary... to purify the heavenly things with better sacrifices than these." ~9:23
Jesus is a better possession. "You yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one." ~10:34
Jesus is King of a better country. "They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one." ~11:16
Jesus offers a better life with Him. "...so that they might rise again to a better life." ~11:35
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
How To Fight Eve's Temptation
These thoughts will be in a Daily Verse later this week, but I wanted to post them here first. I was reading in Psalms of the amazing promises of pleasure and joy that God holds forth for His people, and I couldn't help but think, "Why would we ever turn from this?" And yet I do, every day. This Daily Verse grew out of my ponderings on the subject.
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
~Genesis 3:6
The power of sin lies in its appeal to our desires. The very first sin started this way, and it has been that way ever since. No one sins out of duty; we sin because we want something. Eve saw three things about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: she sawe that it was "good for food," "a delight to the eyes," and "to be desired to make one wise." She liked what she saw, she wanted what she saw, and so she took what she saw-- to the ruin of us all.
Our sin is the same-- in the moment of temptation, the sin looks more desirable to us that obedience. Sin is pleasurable, and so we capitulate. The key to fighting sin, therefore, is to fight the pleasure of sin with a superior pleasure. The superior pleasure that alone kills sin is the fullness of joy in everything that God is and has promised to be for us.
Take the sin in the garden of Eden for example. Eve saw that the tree was good for food. What she should have remembered was that "the steadfast love of the Lord is better than life" (let alone fruit). She saw that it was a delight to the eyes. She should have known that "blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God," and that no delight can compare to seeing Him. Finally, she saw that it was desirable for making one wise. If only she had known and believed what the Psalmist said: "Nothing I desire compares with You!" With the help of the Holy Spirit, fighting the smoldering embers of sin's satisfaction with the blazing fire of joy in God is the only sure shield against the deceptive allure of sin.
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
~Genesis 3:6
The power of sin lies in its appeal to our desires. The very first sin started this way, and it has been that way ever since. No one sins out of duty; we sin because we want something. Eve saw three things about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: she sawe that it was "good for food," "a delight to the eyes," and "to be desired to make one wise." She liked what she saw, she wanted what she saw, and so she took what she saw-- to the ruin of us all.
Our sin is the same-- in the moment of temptation, the sin looks more desirable to us that obedience. Sin is pleasurable, and so we capitulate. The key to fighting sin, therefore, is to fight the pleasure of sin with a superior pleasure. The superior pleasure that alone kills sin is the fullness of joy in everything that God is and has promised to be for us.
Take the sin in the garden of Eden for example. Eve saw that the tree was good for food. What she should have remembered was that "the steadfast love of the Lord is better than life" (let alone fruit). She saw that it was a delight to the eyes. She should have known that "blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God," and that no delight can compare to seeing Him. Finally, she saw that it was desirable for making one wise. If only she had known and believed what the Psalmist said: "Nothing I desire compares with You!" With the help of the Holy Spirit, fighting the smoldering embers of sin's satisfaction with the blazing fire of joy in God is the only sure shield against the deceptive allure of sin.
Friday, July 29, 2011
10 Things That Will Never Happen
I love the word "never." To say something will never happen is more than just saying it won't happen; it is saying that it is impossible for it to happen. "Never" denotes impossibility, certainty. "Never" is a rock to stand on in a sea of uncertainty. So from Scripture, here are ten things that will never happen. Be encouraged:
1) God will count sin against a believer. Romans 4:8- "Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
2) God will never leave a believer. Hebrews 13:5- "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
3) A believer will never be ashamed looking to God. Psalm 34:5- "Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed."
4) God's mercies will never end. Lamentations 3:22- "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end."
5) A believer will never have any need to fear evil. Zephaniah 3:15- "The LORD, the King of Israel, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil."
6) A believer will never perish. John 10:28- "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
7) God will never lie. Titus 1:2- "in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began."
8) A believer's name will never be blotted out of the book of life. Revelation 3:5- "The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life."
9) The risen Christ will never die again. Romans 6:9- "We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again."
10) A believer will never be forsaken by God. Psalm 9:10- "Those who know Your name trust in You, LORD, for You have never forsaken those who seek You."
1) God will count sin against a believer. Romans 4:8- "Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
2) God will never leave a believer. Hebrews 13:5- "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
3) A believer will never be ashamed looking to God. Psalm 34:5- "Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed."
4) God's mercies will never end. Lamentations 3:22- "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end."
5) A believer will never have any need to fear evil. Zephaniah 3:15- "The LORD, the King of Israel, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil."
6) A believer will never perish. John 10:28- "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
7) God will never lie. Titus 1:2- "in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began."
8) A believer's name will never be blotted out of the book of life. Revelation 3:5- "The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life."
9) The risen Christ will never die again. Romans 6:9- "We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again."
10) A believer will never be forsaken by God. Psalm 9:10- "Those who know Your name trust in You, LORD, for You have never forsaken those who seek You."
Friday, April 22, 2011
Good Friday Meditation- Part 4
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
-Mark 15:34
Who can fathom what is taking place here? The eternal tapestry of the Trinity is being torn as Jesus “becomes sin for us,” taking the weight of humanity’s rebellion. “He Himself bore our sins in His body,” Peter tells us. And the sight of the sins of all redeemed humanity on His Son caused the Father to turn away in disgust and fury.
Here at the cross, Jesus did not just bear our sin; He bore the wrath of God that was directed at our sin. All of God’s holy anger at our lies, our lust, our anger, our envy, our murderous strife, our God-ignoring, self-exalting ways was focused on Jesus in those hours. “It was the will of the LORD to crush Him,” Isaiah observed seven hundred years earlier. The crushing blow that should have fallen on us—and will fall on all who do not fly to the cross for refuge—fell on Jesus that dark afternoon.
On the cross, the infinite and eternal Son of God bore the infinite and eternal punishment that our sins deserve. Hell broke into the present and consumed Jesus. Here we hear the cry of the damned, the cry that should have been ours: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This cry was on Jesus’ lips so that it would never be on ours.
EXTEND THE LESSON
Read or listen to the song, “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us”
Read the poem, “Satisfied” by Brendan Beale (http://blog.dailyverseonline.org/2009/04/satisfied.html)
-Mark 15:34
Who can fathom what is taking place here? The eternal tapestry of the Trinity is being torn as Jesus “becomes sin for us,” taking the weight of humanity’s rebellion. “He Himself bore our sins in His body,” Peter tells us. And the sight of the sins of all redeemed humanity on His Son caused the Father to turn away in disgust and fury.
Here at the cross, Jesus did not just bear our sin; He bore the wrath of God that was directed at our sin. All of God’s holy anger at our lies, our lust, our anger, our envy, our murderous strife, our God-ignoring, self-exalting ways was focused on Jesus in those hours. “It was the will of the LORD to crush Him,” Isaiah observed seven hundred years earlier. The crushing blow that should have fallen on us—and will fall on all who do not fly to the cross for refuge—fell on Jesus that dark afternoon.
On the cross, the infinite and eternal Son of God bore the infinite and eternal punishment that our sins deserve. Hell broke into the present and consumed Jesus. Here we hear the cry of the damned, the cry that should have been ours: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This cry was on Jesus’ lips so that it would never be on ours.
EXTEND THE LESSON
Read or listen to the song, “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us”
Read the poem, “Satisfied” by Brendan Beale (http://blog.dailyverseonline.org/2009/04/satisfied.html)
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