Time: 6:19 am
Place: My house, in my room
Date: Friday, October 28, 2011
Me: Oh man! I have to write a blog before noon today! I better get up right now!
Time: 7:21 am
Place: My house, in the back room, on the couch
Date: Friday, October 28, 2011
Me: (Finished my bible study) Okay, now to write this blog. But I'm so sleepy.....why does this couch have to be the comfiest in the entire house.......what is that bright.....huh? No, mustered please......(Falls over)
Time: 9:35 am
Place: My house,
Date: Friday, October 28, 2011
Some Voice: Hey, hey Selena, it's almost eleven, is your blog written yet?
Me: No, no it's not.
SV: Isn't chapter ten the second longest chapter in Hebrews?
Me: Yes, yes it is.
SV: Then what are you doing sleeping in?
Me: I'm tired!
SV: This is no way to be acting.
Me: Seriously? One, maybe two people read my blog anyways.
SV: That doesn't mean you can just blow it off.
Me: I can and I will, watch me. (Rolls over)
Time: 10:45 am
Place: My house, in front of the computer
Date: Friday, October 28, 2011
Me: (Type, type) What am I doing? I'm trying to be funny but it's really not funny that I'm a procrastinator. (Thinks) Maybe if I came up with something......(Clears throat)
Hello and welcome to my blog this week. I'm your host, and basically, there is no blog this week because forty minutes is not long enough to do a study on Hebrews chapter ten. I'm going to own the title of procrastinator, and come to you this week with a humble apology, and an invitation to come back next week, even though I don't deserve your devotion. But who's to say I can't do as I like anyways? This is my blog, and if I decide to write about peanut butter for six days straight, who's going to stop me? Besides, you have to be pirate for the code to apply which you're not. Any kind of blogging rules are more like guidelines anyway. Be safe this weekend in your activities and make sure you save a bag full of candy for me okay? Have a lovely day.
Post Time: 11:05 am B)
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Hebrews Chapter Nine: Dead to Sin
OH MY GOSH I GOT A 3DS!!!! I'VE BEEN FREAKING OUT SINCE WEDNESDAY NIGHT WHEN THAT GUY AT TARGET OPENED THE GLASS DOOR AND TOOK OUT THIS BOX THAT HAD MY 3DS IN IT AND IT WAS MINE AND IT'S STILL MINE AND SO FAR I HAVEN'T WOKEN UP SO IT MUST NOT BE A DREAM! It's about time something good happens to me, I mean really. I have no games for it as of now, but you know, one thing at a time. It was totally worth the work, time, and money. I'm very impressed with it so far, I think the negativity surrounding the 3DS is blown out of proportion, but that's just me. I'll do an official review once I get some games and the excitement of finally having it has worn off, perhaps after Christmas sometime. I'm usually not lacking in money from my birthday (which happens to be on Thanksgiving this year) to Christmas, so I'll be able to purchase some games to review and talk about.
So, I'm running out of witty intros to each chapter of Hebrews. The initial blog intro that I do at the beginning is easy because it's usually something that's happened to me over the week. But, yeah, can I simply say, “Time for Hebrews nine” and be done with it? Okay, time for Hebrews nine.
1-5 I could maybe write a four page book on the significance behind the items mentioned in these verses alone, but I don't think that's the point. Perhaps it was the main focus at one time, but the book of Hebrews is not about the old covenant, but about the new covenant overtaking the old one. I see this brief list as a reminder that at one time in the past, these things were important for salvation itself. But now there's a new way of doing things.
6-10 Remember, only the priest was permitted into the inner room of the Tabernacle, and that once a year and with the shedding of blood. Limited access to the presence of God. This wasn't enough to truly cleanse God's people of their sin. There needed to be something more, something much more powerful and final to completely do away with sin.
11-12 Jesus used the power of his own perfect blood to enter eternal redemption for the whole world. It wasn't something that needed to be repeated, it wasn't a ceremony, an example, or a picture of things to come. It was the real thing.
13-14 If the ashes of an animal can make us “clean” on the outside, or basically, cleansed of sin from the past only, what can the blood of Jesus do? It's a rhetorical question, by the way. The blood of animals might have been enough to clear you of the acts of sin you committed, but what about tomorrow? What about next week? The blood of Christ not only washes away past acts, but the things you are going to do. It did away with sin entirely so we can more effectively serve God.
15 I pretty much love this verse. Any verse in the bible that talks about how we've been set free from sin is my favorite honestly. Think about this for a sec: we are set free from sin. No longer does it control us. No longer does it have power over us to make us do what it wants. We have the power over sin to say no. We have the power to run from sin!
16-22 Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Without blood or death, a will can't be put into effect. It's the same way with the covenants. There has to be bloodshed in order to remove sin.
23-26 Jesus doesn't enter the Holy of Holies where God's presence dwells to intercede for us. He went straight to the Father after he shed his own perfect blood for us. He's a direct connection to the source. So instead of having to sacrifice daily for a temporary, incomplete connection to God, Jesus gave himself as a one time sacrifice to open up a full connection (or at least as full as is attainable in our earthly bodies) to God himself.
27-28 I like this picture of us waiting for God to come. He already shed his blood so he can call us his own children, now we just have to wait until his return, when we will be taken to the Father and our promise of salvation will be complete.
What do you say after that? The end, that's what you say. Man, I need to stop putting off blog writing until Thursday night........
So, I'm running out of witty intros to each chapter of Hebrews. The initial blog intro that I do at the beginning is easy because it's usually something that's happened to me over the week. But, yeah, can I simply say, “Time for Hebrews nine” and be done with it? Okay, time for Hebrews nine.
1-5 I could maybe write a four page book on the significance behind the items mentioned in these verses alone, but I don't think that's the point. Perhaps it was the main focus at one time, but the book of Hebrews is not about the old covenant, but about the new covenant overtaking the old one. I see this brief list as a reminder that at one time in the past, these things were important for salvation itself. But now there's a new way of doing things.
6-10 Remember, only the priest was permitted into the inner room of the Tabernacle, and that once a year and with the shedding of blood. Limited access to the presence of God. This wasn't enough to truly cleanse God's people of their sin. There needed to be something more, something much more powerful and final to completely do away with sin.
11-12 Jesus used the power of his own perfect blood to enter eternal redemption for the whole world. It wasn't something that needed to be repeated, it wasn't a ceremony, an example, or a picture of things to come. It was the real thing.
13-14 If the ashes of an animal can make us “clean” on the outside, or basically, cleansed of sin from the past only, what can the blood of Jesus do? It's a rhetorical question, by the way. The blood of animals might have been enough to clear you of the acts of sin you committed, but what about tomorrow? What about next week? The blood of Christ not only washes away past acts, but the things you are going to do. It did away with sin entirely so we can more effectively serve God.
15 I pretty much love this verse. Any verse in the bible that talks about how we've been set free from sin is my favorite honestly. Think about this for a sec: we are set free from sin. No longer does it control us. No longer does it have power over us to make us do what it wants. We have the power over sin to say no. We have the power to run from sin!
"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
-Romans 60:11
-Romans 60:11
16-22 Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Without blood or death, a will can't be put into effect. It's the same way with the covenants. There has to be bloodshed in order to remove sin.
23-26 Jesus doesn't enter the Holy of Holies where God's presence dwells to intercede for us. He went straight to the Father after he shed his own perfect blood for us. He's a direct connection to the source. So instead of having to sacrifice daily for a temporary, incomplete connection to God, Jesus gave himself as a one time sacrifice to open up a full connection (or at least as full as is attainable in our earthly bodies) to God himself.
27-28 I like this picture of us waiting for God to come. He already shed his blood so he can call us his own children, now we just have to wait until his return, when we will be taken to the Father and our promise of salvation will be complete.
What do you say after that? The end, that's what you say. Man, I need to stop putting off blog writing until Thursday night........
Friday, October 14, 2011
Hebrews Chapter Eight: Summing Things Up
There was almost no blog this day on account of me completely forgetting about it until Thursday night and me feeling the beginnings of a stupid cold. I swear it's like two hundred degrees in here, I'm sweating and I haven't done anything but sit here. Nevertheless, I am determined to make sure there is reading material for my readers every Friday no matter how bad my health is. I am a dedicated blogger! YEPPERS!
We are currently in Hebrews chapter eight, for those of you new readers, and those of you like me who forgot while floating around in the space of life. I like how chapter eight starts, “The point of what we are saying is this”. We're finally getting a main point, a summery of all this information we've been taking in and picking apart the first seven chapters. This is the part I skip to in textbooks. “Don't give me all the details! Just give me the important stuff that's going to be on the test!” Ladies and gentleman, it's test time.
1-2 Remember back in chapter three, when we talked about how Moses was the builder of the earthly Tabernacle where God dwelt, and that we are the new “Tabernacle” as God's dwelling place? Jesus is the high priest connecting us “tabernacles” to God. He is the bridge between you and God, the mediator, the connector, the missing piece of the puzzle.
3-4 Jesus can't be a priest on earth because there are already people who offer up sacrifices or other material things in exchange for their sins. Maybe you are one. Have you ever felt like you weren't good enough for God? Have you ever felt that you broke too many rules or skipped too many Sunday services to be worthy of God's grace? Thinking you have to be good enough for God is the same as offering up sacrifices for your sins. Nothing YOU can do will make up for your sins. Only through Jesus we are saved, not by man's power.
Let Jesus be your priest in heaven, the high priest who already did all that was necessary to save you. It's already done, you just need to accept it.
5-6 The Tabernacle had to be so exact, and everything had to be in the right place and happen in the right order, because it was a picture of what was to come. The old covenant was a perfect picture of the new covenant. The old covenant included things like the earthly Tabernacle, the human priest, and the daily sacrifice. The new covenant involves us, Jesus, and his one ultimate sacrifice. Do you see how everything connects here? The new covenant is far superior to the old one, as it involves us totally relying on the power of God to save us and to get us through each day. There's more intimacy between you and your Creator this way.
7-12 The quoted passage here is from the book of Jeremiah, which was written long before Jesus walked the earth. God new from the beginning that he would perfect His relationship with His people using the new covenant. No longer would people need to be told what God was saying to them, for God would be able to speak to each one directly.
I just sneezed on the computer screen and now it's all colorful.
13 So, the old covenant is completely done away with, guys. Religion and all that garbage is no longer necessary to be saved. We don't have to dress a certain way, abstain from eating certain things, or talk like we're super holy. God wants us to be just as we are, weak, helpless, imperfect, so He can show us how strong He is to save us. He needs us to be fully dependent on Him in order for Him to work through us. Otherwise we'll rely on our own abilities to get us through things, and that's not what we want at all.
I gave you the summery, now it's time to see what you have learned so far (or, time for me to see if I've been doing this right....) For this week's challenge, write a brief summery of the old covenant in comparison to the new covenant. For example:
Old: Tabernacle
New: Us
Everyone who completes the challenge will receive a cookie like last time. I'll check your answers next week. Have a smashing weekend! (Don't smash anything, just, oh never mind. I'm sick, give me a break.)
We are currently in Hebrews chapter eight, for those of you new readers, and those of you like me who forgot while floating around in the space of life. I like how chapter eight starts, “The point of what we are saying is this”. We're finally getting a main point, a summery of all this information we've been taking in and picking apart the first seven chapters. This is the part I skip to in textbooks. “Don't give me all the details! Just give me the important stuff that's going to be on the test!” Ladies and gentleman, it's test time.
1-2 Remember back in chapter three, when we talked about how Moses was the builder of the earthly Tabernacle where God dwelt, and that we are the new “Tabernacle” as God's dwelling place? Jesus is the high priest connecting us “tabernacles” to God. He is the bridge between you and God, the mediator, the connector, the missing piece of the puzzle.
3-4 Jesus can't be a priest on earth because there are already people who offer up sacrifices or other material things in exchange for their sins. Maybe you are one. Have you ever felt like you weren't good enough for God? Have you ever felt that you broke too many rules or skipped too many Sunday services to be worthy of God's grace? Thinking you have to be good enough for God is the same as offering up sacrifices for your sins. Nothing YOU can do will make up for your sins. Only through Jesus we are saved, not by man's power.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”
-Ephesians 2:8-9
-Ephesians 2:8-9
Let Jesus be your priest in heaven, the high priest who already did all that was necessary to save you. It's already done, you just need to accept it.
5-6 The Tabernacle had to be so exact, and everything had to be in the right place and happen in the right order, because it was a picture of what was to come. The old covenant was a perfect picture of the new covenant. The old covenant included things like the earthly Tabernacle, the human priest, and the daily sacrifice. The new covenant involves us, Jesus, and his one ultimate sacrifice. Do you see how everything connects here? The new covenant is far superior to the old one, as it involves us totally relying on the power of God to save us and to get us through each day. There's more intimacy between you and your Creator this way.
7-12 The quoted passage here is from the book of Jeremiah, which was written long before Jesus walked the earth. God new from the beginning that he would perfect His relationship with His people using the new covenant. No longer would people need to be told what God was saying to them, for God would be able to speak to each one directly.
I just sneezed on the computer screen and now it's all colorful.
13 So, the old covenant is completely done away with, guys. Religion and all that garbage is no longer necessary to be saved. We don't have to dress a certain way, abstain from eating certain things, or talk like we're super holy. God wants us to be just as we are, weak, helpless, imperfect, so He can show us how strong He is to save us. He needs us to be fully dependent on Him in order for Him to work through us. Otherwise we'll rely on our own abilities to get us through things, and that's not what we want at all.
I gave you the summery, now it's time to see what you have learned so far (or, time for me to see if I've been doing this right....) For this week's challenge, write a brief summery of the old covenant in comparison to the new covenant. For example:
Old: Tabernacle
New: Us
Everyone who completes the challenge will receive a cookie like last time. I'll check your answers next week. Have a smashing weekend! (Don't smash anything, just, oh never mind. I'm sick, give me a break.)
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