Hebrews Chapter Three: Rest

In Spanish, there is a type of bread called pan (pronounced paun), that's somewhere between regular bread and a doughnut in sweetness. I was having some at a bible study last Friday, and I was jokingly calling it pan, like you'd say it in English, the kind you cook in. Now, here in the part of California I live in, everyone can speak Spanish to some degree, so therefore everyone knew I was joking when I called it pan in English. But the awesome part was that my friend pointed out that I was a Panhead, and since pan means bread in Spanish, he was going to call me Sckbreadhead from now on. I think it's a brilliant idea, what do you guys think?

You think on it, and in the mean time, I give you Hebrews chapter three.

1 I like how the writer calls us holy brothers right here, almost as if he was reaffirming our acceptance by Jesus. It's been my experience that when you fix your thoughts on Jesus, it's easier to pray. When I think of him, I think of all he went through to erase the separation between man and God, how he knows from experience what we're going through, and how much he wants to hear from us. It's easy to talk to someone like that.

2-6 These next five verses were difficult for me to understand at first, so I had to ask for help from my parents. Here, it's talking about Moses and Jesus, and I could tell there was a connection, but I was unsure of what that connection was. Let me walk you through what my parents and I were able to find out: In verse two, it says Moses was faithful in all God's house. If you remember in the old testament, Moses was in charge of building the tabernacle, which was the place God dwelt. It was his house. The Tabernacle was the only way the Lord was able to communicate to the people, since sin separated the people from the Lord. They could only communicate with the Lord after they had made the necessary sacrifice for their sins. You can imagine that this wasn't the easiest way to talk to God. You gotta get the priest to kill an animal for you and ask the Lord for forgiveness. In verse three, it says that Jesus was of greater honor than Moses. Jesus took care of ALL of our sins on the cross, one time, one lamb, done forever. Moses was faithful in the temporary house of the Lord, while Jesus was faithful in his eternal house. Where is his eternal house you ask? Verse 6 gives us the answer: “And WE are his house if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.”

7-11 Here it talks more of the Isrealites, the same people that were with Moses and used the Tabernacle. They were technically the only people on the planet that had access to God, and still they hardened their hearts and refused to trust God to take care of them. I like how back then, there was a lot of physical illustrations of what was to come in the future with Jesus. In verse 11 it says that they shall never enter God's rest. What that meant back then was that they couldn't go into the land God promised them because they were rebellious. Now, it means the rest of God's salvation, the peace we have knowing Jesus took care of our sins for us. Beloved, don't harden your hearts against the Lord today! He wants you to have eternal rest, even when this world gives you trouble. “And I rest in the shelter of your love, and I rest in the wonder of your grace!” - Skillet song.......

12-15 These verses tell us not to be so caught up in sin that we turn away from God to pursue our sin instead. And not only to keep ourselves from sin, but to encourage our brothers to do the same. We shouldn't harden our hearts as the Isrealites did, but be faithful in our relationship with the Lord, staying away from sin and drawing closer to him.

16-19 Again, we have the example of the Isrealites to look to. Even after all the things the Lord did for them, they still didn't believe. They still preferred their sin over the rest that God was offering them. We should take this as a warning. Seek God's rest while you still have the time.