QT 7/23/2026 Heb 11:5–10, Faith and obedience

Hebrews 11:5–10 (ESV) —

5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

 

NOTE: In two of the three examples (and possibly all three), the men were not pursuing riches or honor or comfort, their faith act was obedience to God's revealed will, without knowing the final outcome. Noah built an ark, long before there was any sign of rain. Abraham left his land to live in a promised foreign land. It would be a half century before his descendants would own that land.

 

Verse 6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. In other words, one must be willing to put God's will in front of our will. We must put God's promise of a special city (vs 10) over our dreams of a retirement home.

 

Verse 5 gives two conditions. One, we must believe that God exist and two, that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. I would write it this way, I must believe that God has my best interests at heart. I need not worry. I just need to be obedient and do his will for my life.

 

PONDER:

1. Who am I really living for, self or God? It is not hard to tell.

 

PRAYER: Father, it is easy to fall into a trap of comfortableness and ease. It is easy to desire those things above all. But our problem, is that we don't grasp how much more you offer. These men who gave all are our examples. They weren't perfect, but they worked at walking by faith.

QT 7/22/2026 Heb 11:1–4, Faith is trusting in God's will

Hebrews 11:1–4 (ESV) —

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

 

NOTE: I had never noticed this before, but the author introduces the next three chapters (11-13) with the admonition to faith, hope, and love in Heb 10:22-25 (Thomas, W. H. Griffith, 1984).

 

Hebrews 10:22–25 (ESV) — 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

 

The first point is that faith is confidence in the unseen. I would argue that it is not confidence in getting what I want (that type of unseen), but it is confidence in God (who is unseen) and his will (also unseen) for my life.

 

The examples highlight this truth. The first example is the universe. Science still cannot come up with an explanation for the universe's origin. Every explanation just pushes the question further back in time. There must be a cause, and ultimately a first cause. God himself is the first cause (he is by definition eternal, he is not caused). There was nothing and God created everything out of nothing. There are some things that cannot be explained except by faith in an eternal God.

 

Abel is a another example of faith in the unseen God. Abel offered up the first fruits of his harvest because he had faith that God will continue to provide. I believe Abel sacrificed out of faith. Cain gave out of his abundance. It was no sacrifice. It did not require faith to believe that God would provide since he had enough. I know the passage doesn't say this, but given the context and later descriptions of offerings, this is the best explanation. Abel had faith in God's will for his life, even if he gave away the seeds that could have provided more wealth. But you say, Abel died and Cain lived. Yes, because faith is not about getting a great life here on earth, but about experiencing God's will here and God's glorious inheritance in heaven.

 

Hebrews 11:39–40 (ESV) — 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I living for the things of this world, or am I living to accomplish God's will for my life?

 

PRAYER: Father, we are so selfish and self-absorbed. It is all about us, we think. We pray for ourselves, but we seldom pray for you to accomplish your will. We don't trust your will for our life. Help us to persevere and to learn to trust you.

Hebrews 11:1–4 (ESV) —

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

 

NOTE: I had never noticed this before, but the author introduces the next three chapters (11-13) with the admonition to faith, hope, and love in Heb 10:22-25 (Thomas, W. H. Griffith, 1984).

 

Hebrews 10:22–25 (ESV) — 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

 

The first point is that faith is confidence in the unseen. I would argue that it is not confidence in getting what I want (that type of unseen), but it is confidence in God (who is unseen) and his will (also unseen) for my life.

 

The examples highlight this truth. The first example is the universe. Science still cannot come up with an explanation for the universe's origin. Every explanation just pushes the question further back in time. There must be a cause, and ultimately a first cause. God himself is the first cause (he is by definition eternal, he is not caused). There was nothing and God created everything out of nothing. There are some things that cannot be explained except by faith in an eternal God.

 

Abel is a another example of faith in the unseen God. Abel offered up the first fruits of his harvest because he had faith that God will continue to provide. I believe Abel sacrificed out of faith. Cain gave out of his abundance. It was no sacrifice. It did not require faith to believe that God would provide since he had enough. I know the passage doesn't say this, but given the context and later descriptions of offerings, this is the best explanation. Abel had faith in God's will for his life, even if he gave away the seeds that could have provided more wealth. But you say, Abel died and Cain lived. Yes, because faith is not about getting a great life here on earth, but about experiencing God's will here and God's glorious inheritance in heaven.

 

Hebrews 11:39–40 (ESV) — 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I living for the things of this world, or am I living to accomplish God's will for my life?

 

PRAYER: Father, we are so selfish and self-absorbed. It is all about us, we think. We pray for ourselves, but we seldom pray for you to accomplish your will. We don't trust your will for our life. Help us to persevere and to learn to trust you.

QT 7/21/2026 Heb 10:35-39, Giving up

Hebrews 10:35–39 (ESV) —

35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37 For,

“Yet a little while,

and the coming one will come and will not delay;

38 but my righteous one shall live by faith,

and if he shrinks back,

my soul has no pleasure in him.”

39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

 

NOTE: The passage is written to believers, the same believers who in verses 24-25 have given up meeting together. They started out well but somewhere along the way, when difficulties and persecutions arose, they gave way and went backwards, potentially all the way to being an apostate.

 

I think the idea of good works is misunderstood by Christians today. You cannot in any way earn your salvation, it is by grace through faith. It is promised by God and sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13). But, there is a reward in heaven for good works. Eternal life is already paid for by Jesus, so what is this reward? I don't know, but I would make two arguments.

 

1. Rewards are positions and opportunities to serve Jesus in the Millennial kingdom.
2. There is no other way to say "thank you for salvation" than by service to God on earth now. Our works can never say "thank you" loud enough, but our abandonment of service says "I don't care." We clearly don't value salvation. The reward is the ability to say "thank you."

 

Lastly, let me quote something Barclay said about perseverance.

 

“Perseverance is one of the great unromantic virtues. Most people can start well; almost everyone can be fine in spasms. Most people have their good days. Most men have their great moments. To everyone it is sometimes given to mount up with wings as eagles; in the moment of the great effort everyone can run and not be weary; but the greatest gift of all is to walk and not to faint.” (Barclay, 1963, pp. 143-44.)

 

I can relate. I can always give a spurt, but continuing day after day can be monotonous, tedious, and dull. Yet, I found a reward in the daily slog. In time, what was hard became joyful, peaceful, and restful.

 

PONDER:

1. Where am I in the battle? Have I given up like the Hebrews, if only, subtly?
2. Does a reward in heaven have any meaning to me?

 

PRAYER: Lord, this culture calls us to give up the good for the temporary. We are offered entertainment and comfort if we give up service and perseverance. Open our eyes to our real motives, help us to repent and return, the church is so weak. The enemy has blinded it.

QT 7/20/2026 Heb 10:32–34, A better retirement home

Hebrews 10:32–34 (ESV) —

32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

 

NOTE: I wonder if this applied to all or only to some, that is, the author is bringing back to their memory the Jews reaction to those who started following Jesus. It wasn't always harsh. In the early church, the people held "the way" in great esteem, which restricted the hands of the early Sanhedrin. By the time Paul was delivering his gift to the poor in Jerusalem, it is evident that the crowd had a totally different opinion of "the way." In thirty years, they had shifted from great esteem to pure hatred. Many of these recipients had seen that change and what had happened to those who identified with Christ. Some had experienced the persecution. And now, another 10-20 years later, they were drawing back, forgetting the joy of knowing Christ or in believing their better reward.

 

Culture changes quickly. Values, behaviors, and mores change. In my lifetime, I've seen rapid changes. Things I would have never thought possible are now acceptable. The enemy has used media to accelerate the change. The enemy has encouraged greed and given wealth to the ungodly to foster lies. In some ways, I share a guilt that my life has been easier than most. I have experienced suffering, but not persecution (well, at least not overt).

 

The key is to remember the ending. We have a better possession and an abiding one (10:34). In a couple of chapters, he will finish this argument with the following verses:

 

Hebrews 12:22–24 (ESV) — 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

 

We can take joy because whatever happens now, nothing can replace our glorious future, which is promised by God himself.

 

PONDER:

1. One of the signs that are focus is off is when we talk about earthly retirement homes and lifestyles. Our reward is not here on earth, but in heaven. Do we have a spiritual perspective on life and eternity?

 

PRAYER: Father, it is easy to fall into the trap of comfort. In one sense, it provides peace and rest. But God promises the same to those who will trust him and continue in faith. We need to grow in the word of truth and listen as God speaks to our hearts.

QT 7/17/2026 Heb 10:26–31, Warning to Christian who are not serious in their walk with God

Hebrews 10:26–31 (ESV) —

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 

NOTE: I think this passage is clearly speaking to born-again believers. There are a variety of reasons, but the easiest is that author includes himself in the first verse when he says "we." But the author never uses the phrase "eternal" in any of the descriptions of the judgment. I think there are two judgments occurring here for the believers who willfully separate themselves from the body (described in 10:19-25). First, they will burn in the fire that will consume Jerusalem (in the next few years, AD 70). They will not leave when they get a chance (in opposition to the Lord's own warning), and they will identify with other Jews as a means to maintain their livelihood (or so they think). Second, they will face believers judgment where his life's work will be revealed, and they will suffer loss.

 

1 Corinthians 3:15 (ESV) — If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

 

What does it mean for a believer to suffer loss? I don't know. A number of Christians have quoted the verse that says there are no tears in heaven. Or they ask if I think believers will have regret? I think we may carry verses too far, and out of context. The apostate believer cannot lose their salvation, but God's word says that they will suffer loss and face God's judgment of his people.

 

Why do we want to know the answer? Is it because we are like the Hebrew Christians, neglecting faith so that we can live life as we please? All I can say to those believers is what the author here says to believers: "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

 

PONDER:

1. God warned the Hebrew believers of the danger of not being serious with their faith -- could that warning be true for me as well?

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray for Christians who live for comfort and not service. I pray for those who have retired or have their retirement home. There is no retirement option in this life. Our retirement home is in heaven, now is not the time to slow down or to give up ministry.

QT 7/16/2026 Heb 10:19–25, Getting serious about our faith

Hebrews 10:19–25 (ESV) —

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

 

NOTE: Here is the application of all the previous theology and comparisons of the new to the old covenant. It is fivefold: 1) draw near, 2) hold fast, 3) stir up, 4) meet together, and 5) encourage one another. This is a pretty good list of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, as well as a good list for why people fall away or even apostate themselves (note: I am not suggesting you can lose your salvation).

 

1. Draw near means to meet with the Lord in his word and in prayer. It is the number one reason why so many Christians never grow or change or look any different from the rest of the world.
2. Hold fast means to trust God with events of life, believing that he is in ultimate control and that he promises to work things out for good for the believer. (Note: Heb 11 will go into more detail).
3. Stir up means that we are to challenge those who are not growing in their faith to get into their bible and get serious with their walk with God. Challenge them to be a real disciple of Jesus.
4. Meet together means that we put a priority on corporate gatherings. Hey, I get it, I'm a loner. I don't like meetings or large groups, but I know it is a good thing for me (science says the same) and it is a good thing for others that I show up and fellowship.
5. Encourage one another cannot happen if you are spiritually dead or on spiritual life support. If you are not meeting with God regularly in his word, you have nothing of value that you can share with another. You must get serious about your faith and about your relationship with God. If you do that, God will give you a vibrant life that can encourage others.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I doing these 5 things and what is the excuse I will give to God?

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray you would wake up the church. We are not much better than the early believers in Jerusalem that Hebrews is addressed to. I pray for a seriousness in our faith, and to experience the peace and joy of a relationship with the God over all.

QT 7/15/2026 Heb 10:15-18, Breaking free from slavery

Hebrews 10:15–18 (ESV) —

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them

after those days, declares the Lord:

I will put my laws on their hearts,

and write them on their minds,”

17 then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

 

NOTE: The author quotes a prophecy from Jeremiah. Commentators (Allen, and Lane to name two) suggest that the author is pulling the quote forward and telling the reader that the Holy Spirit is saying this now. It is being fulfilled. It is a new covenant. It is different from the past covenant, although in the old covenant they were supposed to have the law memorized. Now it will actually live within them. I believe that is the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in each believer and brings to mind Gods' word.

 

A second important truth from the Jeremiah quote, which should seem obvious, is that if there is no remembrance of sin, that is complete forgiveness by Jesus' work on the cross, then there is no need for any more offerings for sin. This argument is based upon the Old Testament passage quoted.

 

The author has made it very clear that Jesus is our new high priest, repeated sacrifices are made obsolete, the new covenant does not fix up the old -- it excludes the old. Jesus sits now at the right hand of the Father, the work is finished. The future covenant that Jeremiah prophesied is here, now. And what had been shadows and copies are now replaced by the real thing, access into God's Holy of Holies.

 

One last point, the author operates from a dualist "already/not yet" eschatological outlook with respect to Christ's reign (Allen, DL, 2010).  Yes, there is a future eschatological reign of Christ, where Christ will return and subjugate his enemies permanently, but there is also a world that has already come, the heavenly Jerusalem, which believers have already come.

 

Hebrews 12:22 (ESV) — 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,

 

We are part of the kingdom of God now, and we await the physical kingdom of come where Christ's reigns on earth.

 

PONDER:

1. It is hard to read these verses and wonder why Jewish believers (Messianic) might turn back to Judaism. That was the first century issue, but non-Jewish Christians are similar in their desire to place themselves under the law, thinking they have found some spiritual secret. Paraphrasing Paul from Galatians: Live in the freedom of Christ, not in slavery to the law. Where do you stand?

 

PRAYER: Father, I don't know what our problems is. I wonder if we really have tasted the goodness of God, or if we are just playing the game "spirituality." Free us from Satan's schemes. Help us to experience the freedom and rest (shalom) we have in Christ.

QT 7/14/2026 Heb 10:11–14, Real Jesus changes our lives

Hebrews 10:11–14 (ESV) —

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

 

NOTE: One key comparison is that Old Covenant priests are standing and Jesus has sat down (more specifically, he has sat down at the right hand of God the Father). A priest stands because he is never finished, he repeatedly is offering the same sacrifices. Even worse is the futility, the work of the priests can never take away sins. Not to be too harsh because the sacrifices covered the people temporarily and reminded the people daily that they have a sin problem, but the problem could never be solved under the law.

 

Jesus sat down because he finished the work. One single offering, his perfect life, perfects all those who believe in his name. I like the way the amplified bible translates verse 14, because I think it captures the word used for "are being sanctified" best.

 

Hebrews 10:14 (AMP) — For by a single offering He has forever completely cleansed and perfected those who are consecrated and made holy.

 

I still think the author used hagiazo differently than Paul. Half of the uses refer to consecration and holiness, and so the idea of justified in God's eyes is valid. The author's first usage (verse 10) put the word sanctified in a "perfect past" tense, whereas in verse 14, it is the present tense. This section's usage seems to line up more closely with Paul. The author is saying that we are justified immediately by Jesus' sacrifice and we are being made holy by Jesus' sacrifice as well. That actually makes sense experientially. When a person believes in Christ, there is a complete change in their life, but they do not stop sinning. If they continue in his word, they "grow" spiritually and experience additional change. And as I mentioned yesterday, the final stage is glorification when we exchange this physical body (with Adam's imputed sin) for a new body, not affected by sin.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I changing spiritually?
2. Have I ever experienced a born again moment where my life completely changed?
3. Do I desire to get into God's word every day?
4. If the answer to the above three questions are negative, you might want to take some serious inventory of your life:

Luke 13:25–27 (AMP) —

25 When once the Master of the house gets up and closes the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door [again and again], saying, Lord, open to us! He will answer you, I do not know where [what household—certainly not Mine] you come from.

26 Then you will begin to say, We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.

27 But He will say, I tell you, I do not know where [what household—certainly not Mine] you come from; depart from Me, all you wrongdoers!

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray that if some who read this Quiet Time are just religious and churchy, that you would open their eyes to their true destiny. Help them to humble themselves and turn to you. Protect them from pride and pretending to know you.

 

QT 7/13/2026 Heb 10:8-10, The new covenant positional-ly changes us now

Hebrews 10:8–10 (ESV) —

8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

 

NOTE: The "first " referenced in verse 9 is the current system of sacrifices and offerings. Parenthetically, the author makes it clear that the old covenant law demand these things. The "second" is the interjection of the Son as a new and divine offering, which does away with the first system. This new offering, the sacrificial death of God's perfect Son Jesus eliminates the entire sacrificial system while sanctifying "we," believers in the Lord Jesus Christ once for all, in other words, for eternity.

 

What does it mean to be sanctified. The author uses the word which can be defined as consecration in terms that suggest positional justification. To be sanctified here is equivalent to justification in Romans, and is another reason that Paul is unlikely to be the author.

 

Allen, argues that sanctification is a process that continues through our whole life. It starts with Jesus death and finishes with our transformation at the rapture. Jesus' prayer in John 17:17 seems to suggest that is also a process. Positional-ly, we are justified. We are in a process of sanctification. In the future, we will be glorified.

 

Theologically, sanctification is both an objective and a subjective matter. We have been made holy objectively by the cross of Christ and we are in the process of being made holy through ongoing sanctification by the Holy Spirit throughout our lifetime. [Allen, D. L. (2010). Hebrews (p. 500). B & H Publishing Group.]

 

John 17:17 (ESV) — Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

 

God's word transforms and changes us, but not without the death of Christ on the cross for our sins.

 

PONDER:

1. The real question is not how the author uses the word hagiazo, but have we been justified by faith in Jesus, and are we growing in our faith to become more like Jesus in his life, with the hope of future glorification in a new body like his resurrected body?

 

PRAYER: Father, again I thank you that our lives have a future and a hope. This weak body will pass away soon, and we will be given new bodies. I look forward to the immensity of the joy that my faith in you holds.

QT 7/10/2026 Heb 9:23–28, Jesus is returning to finish the work God started

Hebrews 9:23–28 (ESV) —

23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

 

NOTE: This is the glorious message of the gospel and why it is SO much better than the old covenant. Jesus appeared on earth once to take away sins. He shed his blood and put away sin by his sacrifice. He enters the holy places that are true, not copies made by human hands, and he enters into God's presence on our behalf. He is the best mediator because as God's son, he sits on the right hand of God the father, and he is God too (one person in the triune God). He is coming back. He will appear one more time to save those who are eagerly awaiting him. I'm sure it felt like a long time to the Jews of old, 2000 years of the Abrahamic covenant, and 4000 years or more since Adam and Eve (at least what is recorded). It has now been almost 2000 years since his death and that seems like a long time too. But we have to trust God that he who promised is faithful to complete the work he started 6000 or more years ago.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I ready for the return of Christ? It can come at any moment or many years from now, but I am called to be ready. Believe in the Lord Jesus. Today is the day of your salvation!

 

PRAYER: Father, help us to live boldly as your witnesses in a world that is increasingly lost and in rebellion to your commands. Violence and sin rules in many places. Human systems have failed and will continue to fail. We need to be born again and turn back to you before it is too late.

QT 7/9/2026 Heb 9:15-22, Coming signs

Hebrews 9:15–22 (ESV) —

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

 

NOTE: This is a confusing passage and I suppose it would help to have the author explain his use of the word "will" versus "covenant." Apparently, many commentators disagree, although it doesn't seem to make much difference. Since the paragraph starts out discussing an inheritance, I will go with "will." It also seems to agree with most of the passage. Jesus' death on the cross starts a new will and testament. His shed blood ratifies this new will which inaugurates this new covenant. He died, and then rose again, proving the efficacy of the new covenant's power over death.

 

During the feast of unleavened bread, Jesus was tested by the Pharisees and scribes. He died during Passover (as our Passover lamb), and he rose again on the feast of first fruits, the first day of the week, Sunday. He then distributed the promised gifts (the Holy Spirit) on the day (feast) of Pentecost. In a sense, his life fulfilled all the spring feasts on the Jewish calendar. I believe he will fulfill the fall feasts in his second coming (feast of trumpets--rapture; day of atonement--tribulation; feast of booths--wedding feast and new millennial kingdom).

 

PONDER:

1. Jesus' fulfillment of the OT law gives me great confidence in my faith. The signs, proofs, written record by eyewitnesses, and martyred lives by his closest companions are strong evidences. Are you sharing these truths with others?

 

PRAYER: Father, it sure seems like the days are coming to a close. The scoffer still scoff and sinners celebrate sin, just as before the flood. But I believe the increasing sin and apostasy of the church are signs of the end of the age.

QT 7/8/2026 Heb 9:11-14, Heaven requires perfection

Hebrews 9:11–14 (ESV) —

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

 

NOTE: Everything before was but a shadow and copy. Everything pointed to the need for a better tent, a better sacrifice, and better blood. Jesus entered into the holy of holies (the one in heaven) by means of his blood and his perfect life. As God-man, he took on the sins of the whole world, and ended the devil's most powerful weapon, death. One would be a fool to replace a perfect sacrifice with imperfect religious rules. We can never do enough good to secure a spot in heaven on our own works. There is left only one sin that is not covered, and that is to not believe in God's only son. Jesus died for the world's sin, but that is not helpful if you have but one sin in your life, disbelief in the finished work of Christ on the cross. It only takes one sin to make you unqualified to enter a perfect and holy heaven.

 

PONDER:

1. Only one sin disqualifies you from heaven. Heaven requires perfection. Jesus' death can make you perfect in God's eyes, but only if you believe in Jesus. Where do you stand?

 

PRAYER: Father, I am amazed at what you have done to attempt to save the world, but so many are in open revolt and continued rebellion to their creator. I pray that you would wake us up. Come Lord Jesus, come.

QT 7/7/2026 Heb 9:6-10, A complete salvation is available

Hebrews 9:6–10 (ESV) —

6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

 

NOTE: The author has already told us that the new covenant makes the old covenant obsolete. His walk-through of the old system is intended to show why it did not work. All of the activities and religious structure could not perfect the conscience of the worshiper. The old covenant's only redeeming value was that it reminded us of our sin and our failure to meet God's standard or to be seen by God as righteous. No sooner than an unintentional sin is forgiven, how much time elapses before I sin unintentionally again. How would I even know that since it was unintentional?

 

No, we needed something that can truly clear our conscience and make us righteous in the eyes of the thrice holy God of the universe. Jesus' death makes that possible. He died for the sins of the world. For those who believe, we are sealed with God's Holy Spirit and our bodies become temples of God. In Paul's letter to Corinth, he writes:

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) — Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) — For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 

Jesus took our sin upon himself and gave us the righteousness of God. The Father now sees Jesus when he looks upon us.

 

These truths are incredibly freeing. I know a lot of my personal sins and struggles, but I don't know it all. I'm sure I do many things unintentionally. But in Jesus, I am clean of willful and of unintentional sins. I am clean!

 

PONDER:

1. Do we appreciate the depths of our salvation, or are we still holding on to religious practices in some vain attempt to please God?

 

PRAYER: Father, I want to live a righteous life before you, not in some vain attempt to please you (since I am perfectly and fully loved) but out of thankfulness for the salvation you have given me.

QT 7/6/2026 Heb 9:1-5, We can have access to the throne room of God

Hebrews 9:1–5 (ESV) —

1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. 2 For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, 4 having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. 5 Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

 

NOTE: I suppose, the most obvious question that arises in this passage is the placement of the golden altar of incense. Now, the author could be referring to a censer that was used on the day of atonement so that the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and be protected. But another explanation is the association of the golden altar of incense with the Holy of Holies from an access point of view.

 

Exodus 40:5 (ESV) — And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle.

1 Kings 6:22 (ESV) — And he overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

 

The golden altar of incense which is placed outside of the Holy of Holies and in front of the screen separating the Holy of Holies from the Most Holy Place, and represents the prayers of the saints. To its right and left, are the table of shewbread and the 7-candle menorah light. Those two items represents God's provision for worshippers. The bread is his word and the light is his direction and leading. The scriptures refer to God's word as bread and also as light.

 

But we enter God's presence through prayer. Before, there was a mediator and a very thick curtain that protected the worshipper from God's holiness. At Jesus' death, the curtain was ripped from the top down, emphasizing that Jesus has opened a new way into the presence of God. We exchange our unrighteousness for Jesus' righteousness upon belief, allowing us to enter into the throne room of God.

 

Hebrews 4:16 (ESV) — Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 10:19–22 (ESV) — 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

 

The point of all this is answered in Heb 10. We now have access to God, not through a mediator but directly through the work of Jesus (our new High Priest) on the cross. We can throw away religion and instead experience a true relationship with the most high. There is no greater privilege on earth.

 

PONDER:

1. Have you experienced the life changing experience of being born again by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?

 

PRAYER: Father, nothing has changed my life more than my simple profession of faith so many years ago. I was born again. I felt it, I saw it, I experienced it, and I am experiencing still each day. It was the most consequential decision of life, and I pray that others could experience that same change.

QT 7/3/2026 Heb 10:1-7, A new and better way

Hebrews 10:1–7 (ESV) —

1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

but a body have you prepared for me;

6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings

you have taken no pleasure.

7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,

as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ ”

 

NOTE: The author continues the argument that the law was ineffective. It was a shadow or even a copy of the realities of heaven. Repeated offerings only temporarily covered a person's sins and need to be continual habit. They did have the positive effect of reminding us of our sins, but they could never take away our sins. At certain points in the history of Israel, God expresses his dismay with Israel and how tired he was with their repeated offerings.

 

Jesus is the new way to God. His sacrificial death pays the penalty of sin completely. It does not remove sin because the human body inherited sin, but it does free us from slavery to sin and promises a new body untainted by sin. At the rapture, God will resurrect the dead in Christ and those believers who are still alive and will give us new bodies that are not tainted with sin. Then we will be truly free of sin. The dead are free of sin, but only because they have no body. But Jesus is the first fruit of the resurrection, new bodies without the stain of sin.

 

I look forward to that day. It is hard to imagine not struggling with temptation, it seems so ingrained in who I am. But I trust God's magnificent power to recreate life.

 

PONDER:

1. Have I been born again? Then I have the hope of resurrection.

 

PRAYER: Father, I prayed that I continue to grow in grace and knowledge of you. Continue to lead me in your paths. It is now approaching three years since I retired. Is there a new thing or a new direction? Lead me and guide me I pray.

QT 7/2/2026 Heb 8:7–13, Seeking the one true God of the bible

Hebrews 8:7–13 (ESV) —

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.

8 For he finds fault with them when he says:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,

when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel

and with the house of Judah,

9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers

on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

For they did not continue in my covenant,

and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel

after those days, declares the Lord:

I will put my laws into their minds,

and write them on their hearts,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor

and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’

for they shall all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,

and I will remember their sins no more.”

13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

 

NOTE: Once again, there is much that can be said about this passage. It was always God's plan to do away with the old covenant. God was not surprised that the people did not obey or that the old covenant did not solve man's sin problem. It was as the book of Galatians teaches, a guardian until a new and better covenant came secured by the blood of the Son of God. Why would God establish a faulty covenant in the first place? I don't think it was faulty. It was a guardian. It provided a temporary covering for sin. Most importantly, it revealed our sin and a need for a savior. In the book of Romans, Paul argues that he would not know that coveting was a sin if the law did not say it was a sin. The old covenant was good but it was preparing us for a better covenant by revealing our need.

 

Today, the temple of God (which was destroyed a few years after Hebrews was written) is in our heart. Paul teaches in Corinthians that our bodies are temples of God where the Holy Spirit indwells. We have the Holy of Holies within us. The law is in our minds and on our hearts. The Holy Spirit speaks to us and reveals truth. We can now know God personally through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The new covenant is a much better covenant.

 

In today's day and age, people are searching for churches and religion that make them feel good, that agree with their concept of God. If you are attending a church for that reason, you are probably worshipping an idol. Whether you like it or not, God is revealed in the bible. If you don't like what the bible says (all of it), then you are probably worshipping an idol of your own making. The new covenant is found in the bible. Seek it with all of your heart -- all of it.

 

PONDER:

1. Where does my concept of God come from, culture or the word of God?

 

PRAYER: Father, this world is falling apart and we search for answers in the wrong places. There is so much pain and anguish. I pray for you to show yourself strong to believers and to help us to seek you with all of our heart.