By Faith

A series on the book of Hebrews:
Heroes of faith
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Hebrews 11:1-12:3 

[When you first start to follow Christ, often it’s done with great excitement. It’s like falling in love when all you can think about is the other person, and you want to tell everyone you know. But then the day-to-day pressures of living can push out those feelings and dull your enthusiasm. In this series, we will look at how the author of Hebrews tried to counteract falling out of love with Jesus.]

  

In 2010, Michigan State had a really good football team. Their regular season record was 11-1, and they were the Big Ten Champions. As a result, the Spartans were invited to the Capital One Bowl game in Orlando on New Years Day.

 

My wife and I decided to go to the bowl game, along with my brother, his wife, their son (all big Spartan fans) and one of my sisters. 

By faith, we bought tickets for the game, tickets for our flight and reserved a hotel room. We hoped and believed that the Spartans would be victorious.

 

Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were struggling. They had been severely persecuted. As a result, they were beginning to lose hope that Jesus would return. It was so bad that they were losing their faith. 

They needed encouragement. They needed to see the big picture. They needed to see God’s faithfulness at work.

 

The author of Hebrews begins chapter 11 by defining faith in terms of hope for an unseen reward.

 

¹ To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. ² It was by their faith that people of ancient times won God's approval.            GNT

 

In this chapter, the writer mentions a number of Old Testament people who had acted “by faith” under difficult circumstances and gained God’s approval. Noah had built a boat in the middle of dry land. Abraham had left his home for a land unseen. Moses led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt.

 

And yet, we read that they never saw what they had hoped for. They never received God’s promise. They were living with delayed gratification… by faith.

 

¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.  NIV

 

With the bowl game, like these Old Testament Jews, even though we had acted by faith, we didn’t receive what we had hoped for – a Spartan victory. But we still had hope because there was always next season. The Israelites had an even better hope!

 

¹⁶ But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.                   NLT

 

Following chapter 11, the writer begins his conclusion using the word “therefore”. This means that what was to follow was the whole reason why he had written about all those Old Testament people. Here’s what he wrote.

 

¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ^2a fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.    NIV

 

Like the writer did in chapter 10, he gave them a “to do” list beginning with the two-letter phrase “let us”. He encouraged them to “throw off everything that hinders”; to “run with perseverance”; and to “fix your eyes on Jesus”.

 

This was good advice for Christians struggling in the first century. It’s also good advice for Christians struggling in the twenty-first century! 

We don’t always get what we hope for. But if we live by faith, God will be pleased with us and one day say, “Well done my good and faithful servant”.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Whatever it Takes

A series on the book of Hebrews:
A call to faith and perseverance
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Hebrews 10:19-39 

[When you first start to follow Christ, often it’s done with great excitement. It’s like falling in love when all you can think about is the other person, and you want to tell everyone you know. But then the day-to-day pressures of living can push out those feelings and dull your enthusiasm. In this series, we will look at how the author of Hebrews tried to counteract falling out of love with Jesus.]

  

There are lots of ways to motivate people. When I was in high school, we had an assistant football coach who was 6 foot 8 inches and probably weighed about 300 pounds. During one of our half-times, he was yelling at us as he pounded on his clipboard until it shattered in two. After that, we were motivated!

 

There were many times during the history of Israel that nothing seemed to motivate them to follow God. One such occasion was when Moses was handing over the leadership to Joshua just before Israel was to enter the Promised Land.

 

The Lord told Moses that once Israel entered Canaan, they would reject him by turning to other gods. Following this, the Lord spoke these words of judgement to Israel through Moses.

 

³⁵ I will take revenge; I will pay them back.
    In due time their feet will slip.
Their day of disaster will arrive,
    and their destiny will overtake them.’          NLT

 

Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were considering rejecting their faith. The writer quoted the above verse from Deuteronomy to motivate them. He also reminded them how faithful they had been in the past. Even in the face of terrible suffering, they had willingly followed Christ while helping other believers.

 

With such pain and persecution in their life, it’s not surprising that they had doubts. They had lost patience in the promise that Jesus would return. Their hope in him had waned. In response, the author quoted from Habakkuk to encourage them to not give up hope, but to persevere and wait patiently.

 

³ This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.         NLT

 

The writer also reminded the Hebrews about the benefits of keeping the faith.

 

¹⁹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. ²⁰ By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.            NLT’

 

The promise of being able to enter into the presence of the Living God, was to motivate them to faith in action. With that in mind, the writer gave them a “to do” list starting with “let us”.

 

^22a let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. ²³ Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. ²⁴ Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.  NLT

 

My high school coach motivated us by intimidation, fear and the desire to take it out on the other team. The writer of Hebrews used many different methods to motivate the believers, including to remind them about the promises of God, his faithfulness and encouraging them to persevere in their faith.

 

What motivates you to keep following Christ? Is it the promise of his return; the threat of consequences; the encouragement of fellow believers; the faithfulness and love of God; the presence of God through prayer?

 

Whatever it is… do whatever it takes to stay motivated.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

Perfect

 A series on the book of Hebrews:
The heavenly tabernacle and perfect sacrifice
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Hebrews 9:1-10:18 

[When you first start to follow Christ, often it’s done with great excitement. It’s like falling in love when all you can think about is the other person, and you want to tell everyone you know. But then the day-to-day pressures of living can push out those feelings and dull your enthusiasm. In this series, we will look at how the author of Hebrews tried to counteract falling out of love with Jesus.]

 

Recently, my wife and I took our grandson on a guided tour of Ohio Stadium where the Ohio State Buckeyes play football. It’s a very impressive structure with quite an interesting history. Although the history didn’t really appeal to my grandson.

 

Afterwards, we made a quick stop at the Woody Hayes football building and visited the trophy room which is filled with Heisman Trophies (7) and National Championship trophies (9). While looking at this amazing display of hardware, he commented that the Buckeyes didn’t have that great a season last year.

 

I pointed out that they were 14-2 and won the College Football Playoff National Championship. He thought they should have gone undefeated. Perfection is a hard thing to accomplish in sports, and even more so in life.

 

After explaining in chapter 8 why the new covenant is better, the writer of Hebrews went into greater detail. First, he stated that the Mosaic covenant has “regulations for worship” and “an earthly sanctuary”. He then described the two rooms in the tabernacle – the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place – including their furnishings.

 

Priests entered into the Holy Place on a regular basis, but only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place. And then only once a year with a blood offering for his sins and the sins of the people.

 

The sacrifices were repeated over and over, year after year, but they couldn’t take away sins. In fact, it’s impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to do anything other than make a person ceremonially clean. The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow of what was to come.

 

Christ changed all of that! As the perfect High Priest, he didn’t offer the blood of animals, but his own blood; he didn’t go into the earthly tabernacle, but into the heavenly one; he didn’t enter the Most Holy Place once a year, but is sitting at the right hand of God; he didn’t cleanse people on the outside, but did on the inside.

 

¹⁴ Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.    NLT

 

Therefore, when Christ lived on this earth, he said that God didn’t want “sacrifice and offering”. Instead, in obedience to his Father, he offered himself as THE sacrifice.

 

¹² But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ¹⁴ For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.  NLT

 

The result is that Christ is our mediator. His blood obtained our eternal redemption. And those who have been called will receive “the promised eternal inheritance” of the new covenant.

In the temple in Jerusalem, there was a huge, thick curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. In doing this, he opened the curtain for us to be in the very presence of the Living God. The old was gone and the new has come.

 

Perfect!

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Truly Spectacular

 A series on the book of Hebrews:
A better covenant with better promises
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Hebrews 8:1-13 

[When you first start to follow Christ, often it’s done with great excitement. It’s like falling in love when all you can think about is the other person, and you want to tell everyone you know. But then the day-to-day pressures of living can push out those feelings and dull your enthusiasm. In this series, we will look at how the author of Hebrews tried to counteract falling out of love with Jesus.]

  

Having seen them in person, I can confirm that the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica are truly amazing! Spectacular even! In the Sistine Chapel, all the walls and ceiling are literally covered with paintings done by several different Renaissance masters. The most famous of which is Michelangelo.

 

However, in some ways, St. Peter’s Basilica is even more spectacular. It’s one of the largest churches in the world, with a dome that rises 448 feet! The long central hallway with adjoining chapels reaches 152 feet and features richly decorated ceilings with gold leaf accents. It’s also decorated with artistic masterpieces including Michelangelo’s sculpture, Pietà.

 

As spectacular as these buildings and works of art are, they’re only a shadow of what we will experience in heaven.

 

When Moses was on Mount Siani, God not only gave him the Ten Commandments, but also very detailed instructions on building the tabernacle. In fact, there are fifteen chapters on it. The sheer volume that is devoted to the tabernacle indicates that it’s very significant. Therefore, we should try to understand why.

 

The tabernacle was where the priests would offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. For forty years, as they wandered in the wilderness, they transported it everywhere they went. Despite this, it was only a “copy and shadow” of God’s heavenly tabernacle.

 

In addition, the covenant that the tabernacle was based on was inferior to the new covenant. In fact, the author of Hebrews quotes a passage from Jeremiah that prophecies about a “new covenant”. It’s a Messianic prophecy written about six hundred years before Hebrews was written.

 

¹⁰ This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
    after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God, and they will be my people.          NIV

 

The tabernacle was considered to be the “house of God”; or where God lived. In fact, the word tabernacle means “dwelling place”. It was also symbolic of the holiness of God, and provided a means of atonement for Israel to be in relationship with him. But Jesus changed all that. Here’s how John describes it.

 

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and blood,
    and moved into the neighborhood.

We saw the glory with our own eyes,
    the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.    MSG

 

As spectacular as the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica are, they pale in comparison to what the real heaven will be like; to actually be in the presence of the Living God. For now, though, God’s dwelling place isn’t confined to the tabernacle or St. Peter’s Basilica or your church or mine.

 

Jesus has “moved into the neighborhood” and through the Holy Spirit, it’s possible for him to live in your heart and mine. Now that’s what I call truly spectacular!

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Fortran

A series on the book of Hebrews:
Christ’s priesthood in the order of Melchizedek
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Hebrews 7:1-28 

[When you first start to follow Christ, often it’s done with great excitement. It’s like falling in love when all you can think about is the other person, and you want to tell everyone you know. But then the day-to-day pressures of living can push out those feelings and dull your enthusiasm. In this series, we will look at how the author of Hebrews tried to counteract falling out of love with Jesus.]

 

In 1971, I took a computer course called Fortran. It’s a programming language that is still used today in scientific and engineering fields. Back then, it involved writing code by hand; transferring the code to punch cards; verifying the cards to catch any errors; then finally, the completed program was stored in stacks of punch cards.

 

The computer itself was massive and expensive. You had to go to a classroom building to use it. Turnaround time for your program could take hours or even days. One single error could mean repeating the whole process. Although it was a far cry from today, Fortran laid the foundation. Though overlooked, Fortran was pivotal!

 

Returning from routing his enemies where he rescued his nephew Lot, Abram was greeted by Melchizedek. Foreshadowing Jesus, Melchizedek was both a king (of Salem) and a priest (of “God Most High”).  His name means “king of righteousness” and he was also known as the “king of peace”. Both are Messianic titles.

 

Melchizedek brought Abram bread and wine with this blessing.

 

¹⁹ and he blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
    Creator of heaven and earth.
²⁰ And praise be to God Most High,
    who delivered your enemies into your hand.”         NIV    Genesis 14

 

Centuries later, referring to the mysterious king/priest from Genesis, David wrote a Messianic psalm that prophesied about Christ.

 

⁴ The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”      NLT   Psalm 110

 

Not including Hebrews, Melchizedek is only mentioned twice in the Bible. Though easily overlooked, Melchizedek was pivotal. The writer of Hebrews clearly states that being a priest in the “order of Melchizedek” was a significant shift.

 

Once Levitical priests were established, only the high priest could enter into the presence of God in the Most Holy Place in the Temple. And then he could only enter once a year. His purpose was to offer sacrifices for his sins, as well as the sins of the nation.

 

But Jesus changed all of that.

 

²⁶ Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 

²⁷ Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.         NIV

 

“Once for all” means that no more sacrifices are required. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. It means that instead of being in the presence of God once a year, we can enter his presence anytime because our high priest Jesus, is always with him.

 

¹⁸ Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. ¹⁹ For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.     NLT

 

Like Fortran, Melchizedek can be easily overlooked. Yet, he was the precursor to Christ. In turn, Jesus was the fulfillment of Melchizedek’s priesthood. “Jesus has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek”.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

An Anchor for the Soul

A series on the book of Hebrews:
A call to maturity and hope
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Hebrews 5:11-6:20 

[When you first start to follow Christ, often it’s done with great excitement. It’s like falling in love when all you can think about is the other person, and you want to tell everyone you know. But then the day-to-day pressures of living can push out those feelings and dull your enthusiasm. In this series, we will look at how the author of Hebrews tried to counteract falling out of love with Jesus.]

  

In 2016, I went deep sea fishing off the coast of North Carolina with some family members. We left the dock at sunrise. It was a calm, beautiful start to the day. Leaving the harbor, we headed out to sea – twenty-five miles out to sea!

 

The ocean became a series of nonstop rolling waves… one after the other. Riding the crest of one wave, our boat would go airborne and slam into the next one. The pounding of wave after wave was endless. My stomach began to churn. By the time we stopped, I was in no condition to go fishing.

 

So far, in our study of Hebrews, the writer has shown how Jesus is greater than the prophets, the angels and Moses. In chapter four he introduced the topic of Jesus as the perfect high priest, “in the order of Melchizedek”.

 

He wanted to write more in depth about this, but couldn’t. He couldn’t because he concluded that his readers wouldn’t understand. And they wouldn’t understand because they were spiritually immature. In fact, he compared them to a baby who drinks milk when they should be eating solid food.

 

At this point, he gave them a severe warning.

 

⁴ For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— ⁶ and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.     NLT

 

These were harsh, judgmental words. But there was hope! Not only for those Jewish Christians who were considering rejecting their faith, but also for us today. Maybe we don’t explicitly reject Christ; but implicitly, by our actions, we do. However, God is steadfast and faithful. And because of this, there is hope!

 

¹⁸ So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.  NLT

 

Those who have taken hold of his hope “may be greatly encouraged”. In fact, Jesus offers us a new hope because he’s entered the very presence of the Living God; he’s entered the Holy of Holies. And he’s done this so that we also might follow him into the presence of our Heavenly Father.

¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, ²⁰ where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.          NIV

 

I’m not sure that an anchor would have helped me to deal with those rolling waves off the coast of North Carolina. However, like an anchor, the hope we find in Jesus gives us stability during the turbulent waters of life.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

He Gets Us!

A series on the book of Hebrews:
Jesus as the great high priest
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Hebrews 4:14-5:10 

[When you first start to follow Christ, often it’s done with great excitement. It’s like falling in love when all you can think about is the other person, and you want to tell everyone you know. But then the day-to-day pressures of living can push out those feelings and dull your enthusiasm. In this series, we will look at how the author of Hebrews tried to counteract falling out of love with Jesus.]

  

In 2022, an advertising campaign was launched titled, “He Gets Us”. According to Wikipedia, the purpose of the ads, are “to reintroduce people to the Jesus of the Bible”. And to do this with “an emphasis on inclusion, compassion, and radical forgiveness".

 

This should raise a question for us. Who is this Jesus of the Bible?

 

At Mount Sinai, God directed Moses to set up a priestly sacrificial system that would model God’s holiness. With that in mind, the high priest was the only person who could enter the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle, and then only once a year.

 

The Most Holy Place was where the presence of the Holy God was. In a way, it was His home. The purpose of the high priest was to offer a sacrifice for his own sins, as well as the sins of Israel.

 

As the author of Hebrews points out, a high priest was chosen to represent the people of Israel to God. He was their mediator. Also, the high priest understood their weaknesses because he too was human and had the same weaknesses.

 

In these verses in Hebrews, you may be surprised to read that Jesus learned obedience through the things he suffered. In other words, through his weakness of being human. Verse seven is a reference to Jesus pleading with God in the Garden of Gethsemane, to “take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done”.

 

⁷ While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.

⁸ Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. ⁹ In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.        NLT

 

Because we have a high priest who is the Son of God, and because he is also fully human, he understands us. As the commercials state: “He gets us”.

 

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.                       NIV

 

For the Jewish Christians who received the letter to the Hebrews, the above verses brought out an important distinction for them to understand. They were considering rejecting their Christian faith to return to their Jewish roots. But Jesus was clearly the superior High Priest.

 

For us today, these verses teach us an important lesson. Unlike the Jews of that day, we don’t have to wait once a year for the Day of Atonement. And our sins have been wiped clean once and for all by Jesus. He now sits at the right of God the Father, and we can approach him anytime, anyplace.

 

He gets us!

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com