“But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.“ – Vs 13 (NASB)

According to this passage, we have an obligation to one another. Both to our believing brothers and sisters and to those in our sphere of influence who remain unbelieving. This verse commands us to encourage one another daily. That word “encourage” is the word parakaleo in the Greek. It means to “come alongside to give help, exhortation, entreaty, comfort, or instruction.” We are to play a significant part in one another’s lives every day. But our encouragement is more than a pat on the back or a token “hang in there.” The context of this verse is a warning to not follow the example of the people of Israel, who provoked God to wrath. The children of Israel challenged God’s authority and tried His patience. They grumbled and complained during their days of wilderness wandering. They didn’t like the manna He miraculously provided. They didn’t approve of the leadership He selected. They saw God’s miraculous works for 40 years, but still chose to turn from Him on a regular basis. In short, they did not know His ways. They did not believe.

That seems to be the warning here. A warning against unbelief. In verse 12 we read, “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you and evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.” One translation puts it this way: “My brothers, take care that there is not by chance in any one of you an evil heart without belief, turning away from the living God” (BBE). This is not a warning against losing your faith. It is a warning about having never had faith to begin with. So we are called to exhort or encourage one another to true faith. Otherwise, we will end up the same way the children of Israel did – with hearts hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Sin is tricky, deceptive, and can easily delude us into rejecting God. Sin seldom appears as what it really is. It lies and deceives. And over time it can cause our hearts to harden toward the message and mercy of God.

Sin convinces us that we aren’t even sinners. It causes us to self-justify and rationalize away our behavior as necessary and acceptable. And in so doing, we call God a liar. We reject His assessment of us and rebel against His authority. So we are called to encourage one another day after day. To do what? To believe! To trust! To obey! To listen to His voice and not harden our hearts (Vs 7-8). We are to encourage one another to live by faith. To believe in the promises of God and the reality of the cross. Read what the author of Hebrews has to say later in his letter:

“And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away. But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation.” – Hebrews 10:38-39

We have a faith that believes and assures our salvation. We don’t fall away. We don’t rebel. We don’t allow the deceitfulness of sin to delude us and deceive us into rejecting God and His Word. To do so would be to have never believed at all. You can’t lose a faith you never had to begin with. True, saving faith continues to believe. But we must be there to encourage one another when difficulties arise to continue believing the truth of God and to reject the falsehood of sin. And we need to do it as long as today is still called “today.” Because the time is short.

Father, I want to be more of an encourager of those around me. I want to come alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ and exhort them to continue believing. But I also want to challenge the unbelieving people all around me to examine their hearts and to accept the gracious gift You have offered them. I want to warn them to not allow the lies of sin to harden their hearts against you and seal their own fate. Make me more of an encourager every day. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

“Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.“ – Vs 17 (NLT)

Chapter 1 reminds us of Jesus’ sovereignty and power. It refers to Him sitting at the right hand of the Father. He is the creator of all things. And yet, He subjected Himself and came to earth as a man. He subjected Himself. He took a position that was lower than the angels. When Jesus became a man, He willingly lowered His rank. He who was worshipped by angels, became lower than the angels.

But it was necessary. In order to accomplish God’s plan for man’s redemption, Jesus had to become one of us – in every respect. So that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. But not only did He become like us, He suffered for us.

And it was only right that God––who made everything and for whom everything was made––should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation. (Vs 10)

Jesus can relate to us, not just because He became one of us, but because He has suffered in all things like we do. Since He himself has gone through suffering and temptation, He is able to help us when we are being tempted. He understands. He can relate. He can empathize.

“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

And it was His sinlessness that made Him the perfect sacrifice. He was the one man who could pay the penalty that God required. And He did it for me. He became like me so that He could die for me. That is amazing love.

Father, thank You for Your amazing love. Thank You for sending Your Son to die in my place, to pay a price I could not afford to pay. I am blown away by Your plan for MY salvation. That You would send Your Son to take on human flesh and die a sinner’s death, that He did not deserve. All for me. Forgive me when I take that death, that gift, for granted. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

“And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.“ – Vs 3 (NASB)

“The Son reflects God’s own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command. After he died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven” (NLT). What a clear statement of Jesus’ deity. He is the exact representation of God because He IS God. He is the creator and sustainer of the universe. “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands” (Vs 10). His word is so powerful that He spoke the world into existence. And yet He still came to earth, took on human flesh, lived a sinless life, died a sinner’s death, and rose again, just for me! And now He sits in the place of honor right next to God the Father, where the angels worship Him.

I think that we have so humanized Jesus that we have virtually eliminated the deity of Jesus. We are so used to seeing images of the blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus in a robe, walking across the Judean landscape in some movie version of His life, that we forget just how powerful, regal, holy, and awe-inspiring He is. He no longer walks along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He sits on a throne. He no longer holds loaves and fishes in His hands. He holds a scepter. The world He created is decaying and changing, yet He is unchanging and everlasting. He is the same Jesus who was there when the world began and He will be there when it comes to an end. His life is not limited to the 33 years He spent on this earth. He is eternal. He has no beginning and He has no end. He is God.

In our effort to get to know Jesus, let’s not forget to worship Him. While we find it so easy to relate to the humanity of Jesus, let’s never lose sight of the deity of Jesus. It wasn’t just some man who died on a cross in my place – it was the God of the universe! The One who made me died for me. The One who created the tree from which the wood of the cross was made. The One who made the elements from which the nails were formed that would pierce His hands. The One who formed the rocks from which His tomb was carved. The One who rose again and is one day coming again. Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Father, let me never take Jesus for granted. Keep me focused on the reality that He is God. His human flesh did not change that. He was God when He was born as a baby and He was God when He ascended back into heaven. He is God. He is powerful, holy, and worthy of my honor and obedience. In my efforts to understand who He was when He was on this earth, don’t let me forget where He is now. He is at Your side and He has all the power of the universe at His disposal. And He uses that power to intercede for me! “Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us (Romans 8:34).  Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org