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