It can be easy to feel alone in this life. Loneliness is something I have long struggled with. Let me give just a few statistics of the general atmosphere surrounding pastors.

• As of 2022, 65% of pastors report feeling lonely, with 18% experiencing it frequently. Another study found that 76% of pastors "often" or "always" feel alone.
• Roughly 70% of pastors do not have a close friend, and many feel they cannot trust parishioners with their personal struggles.
• Studies show 75% of pastors report high stress, and 80% have considered quitting in the last 3 months.

It has been made very clear to me that many of those in the same positions or walks of life that I find myself in struggle with a lot of the same issues I do. When experiencing such isolation, it can become easy to fall for the trap of self-dependence. Asking for help or delegating a task can seem like an impossible ask. This happens so much to the point that I can often forget that even stands as an option. The thought doesn't even occur to me. This specific verse has served to remind me that I am not meant to do this alone, and that the Lord is there for me and walks with me through what I face.

Recent counsel I have received led me to study the intrapersonal relationships Jesus had. Certainly, there was a sense where Jesus was separated from all others. He also had His disciples and within His disciples He had His inner circle with John, Peter, and James. Nevertheless, when it came to the darkest moment of His life, Jesus was abandoned by all. Even in that, He still walked faithfully. My High Priest goes before me. I can come boldly before the throne of grace and find mercy and grace to help in my time of need.

My heart is that we can learn to look to Jesus and see how He has overcome the odds. His grace is sufficient. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. As trial, tribulation, persecution, or inconvenience comes, He is faithful to show up. I am encouraged by the word to approach the Lord boldly in these times. While it can be difficult to have such boldness with others, the Lord does not leave nor forsake us. We can, and ought to, trust Him. So regardless of the situation, we can declare that God is good all the time. And all the time, God is good.

What lesson are you taking from today?

There is a persuasive course throughout the book of Hebrews that challenges the reader to understand that we are not under the Old Covenant. There was a time where following the Law and walking according to the Mosaic Law was essential. That was the best of the best. But there was room given for something new. Prophecy was given that had not reached full fulfillment. There were things that had yet to be done. A Messiah was long awaited. Jesus entering into the picture revolutionized the world, and the world pushed back. Now these Messianic Jews were suffering the consequences. The non-believing Jews joined in the persecution of the church. They did so in the physical sense and in the ideological sense. There is no doubt that the ideological persecutions stand out. Look at how much the Pharisees and Sadducees came against Jesus. There are attempts from the opposition to persuade the believer to disavow their hope. What the writer of Hebrews does is provide a defense. We are witnesses some ancient apologetics.

If the promised rest was meant to be found in the Promised Land, then the work of Joshua would have provided it sufficiently. Yet still, the Lord speaks through David that there would be another day and another rest. So a rest is yet to be found!

The analogy takes on an interesting form. The writer of Hebrews is equating the current state of their situation to being in the Wilderness. They have been saved from the clutches of Pharaoh and set free. They are now the people of God, yet still there is a warning of departing from the living God through unbelief. Look at the language being used. "...let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it." and "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest..." It is possible that those that the writer of Hebrews is speaking to misses this rest. He does not deny them as believers. He cautions them as the people of God. Israel missed it. The lesson for them is that they would not miss it too. The charge to be diligent to enter that rest calls for them to continue in their faith! Endure the persecution and look unto Jesus who is sufficient help in time of need.

What lesson are you seeing for the original audience?

Apart from the most immediate context, which we have already extrapolated in yesterday's devotion, there are a couple examples of rest that are particularly important for us to analyze.

The first example takes a look at Israel. This is also a point we have examined in detail, though we have mostly looked at the caution. What about the reward? Eventually, Joshua had led them into the Promised Land, something that Hebrews notes as a type and shadow of the work that Jesus accomplished for us. What did that rest look like though? The book of Joshua covers this extensively.

The hand of the Lord was shown extensively in the working that was done. The generation that disobeyed did not enter in, but only the new generation and those that were faithful in their belief. What did they enter into? Blessing upon blessing. The entered into a land they didn't labor for. There were cities they did not build. They had a harvest of plants they did not plant. They reaped the benefit of faith. But still a promise remained of rest. Even that was not full fulfillment. The greatest rest is found in the One who founded it.

This leads us to the second connection. The Lord rested upon the completed work. If we take a look at Genesis and the creation narrative, we will see an interesting text that Scripture continuously revisits. After the six days of creation, the Lord rested on the seventh, This point was emphasized so heavily by God that there was a weekly celebration of it. When we find something to be particularly important, we celebrate it on an annual basis. Imagine something being so heavily emphasized that it is a weekly celebration. That is what the Sabbath is.

The Sabbath was written into the Law. To not uphold the Sabbath was punished by death. All of these serve as types and shadows for what was to come in Christ. Jesus is our Sabbath rest from our works. To continue to strive on our own and not honor our Sabbath rest is to resign ourselves to death. The warning would be clearly understood by the Hebrew readers. We can easily overlook it, not understanding how important and severe rest was in the Old Testament.

The connections to rest in the Old Testament are important ones. There is a lot more to touch on that I do not have time for in a devotion. Given that there is so much more, it is worth proposing the question. What connections do you see?

Consider the Israelites. They found themselves in bondage to Pharaoh, enslaved by Egypt. They are set free with the promise of a land that is flowing with milk and honey. Then they are led to the desert where they wander for 40 years. The thing that keeps them there is their unbelief that leads to disobedience. The writer of Hebrews took the time to bring us there in chapter 3. Here in chapter 4, he emphasizes the point that there is a promise of rest for us. And the instruction that is given is to fear lest we come short of it.

The emphasis here is placed on the same theme in chapter 3. The believers are the ones who enter that rest. That rest is found in Christ. God has designed for there to be rest for mankind as He himself rested on the seventh day. That rest was not provided by Joshua who led them into the Promised Land, but a different Joshua. Yeshua, if you will, or as we know Him as, Jesus, is the One who leads us to that final rest.

The nature of this rest is a ceasing from works. We are not working to earn favor with God, nor are we working unto salvation. The faith that brings us to Jesus is the faith that enters this rest. As such, as the work was completed when God created the heavens and the earth, so also the work was completed upon Jesus' declaration, "It is finished!" The result? Rest.

A charge is then given to the believer! Be diligent to enter that rest. Do not neglect your salvation, but take that more earnest heed. The writer of Hebrews is very clearly drawing the point that we can miss this rest, just as those who fell in the wilderness did there. The word of God is living and active! As the command and judgment are given, it pierces through to the depths of the individual. As much comfort and awe we take from Hebrews 4:12, we often miss that it equally should produce a godly fear in us. You cannot fake this before the Lord. Everything is in His sight. He knows the depths of the individual. You may have others deceived of your faith. You may even have yourself deceived. You cannot deceive God. His word will cut through the depths and reveal the genuineness of your belief.

The writer of Hebrews once again draws our attention back to Jesus, our great High Priest. We are called to hold fast our confession. Stay in the game! Our High Priest understands our weaknesses. He faced trial, tribulation and temptation! He faced persecution even unto death. Yet in all this he remained without sin. He never compromised. So we can come boldly before Him to find help in time of need! He reigns on high! He has the authority to aid us in times of trouble. And in coming boldly to the throne of grace, we also find mercy.

What observations are you making in this passage?

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:

    “So I swore in My wrath,
    ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ”

although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”
6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:

    “Today, if you will hear His voice,
    Do not harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
-Hebrews 4

For the believer and non-believer, confession is a powerful tool. For the believer especially, it is particularly effective in spiritual matters. Now I am not talking about confession as addressing sin. In the Greek, the word for confession means simply, "to say the same as." We confess Jesus as Lord. We confess the Lord as victorious. Yes, we also confess our sins to Him. But we can confess the work He has done.

This morning, take time in confession. Acknowledge who Scripture says He is. Even if you don't feel like it is true, take Scripture and confess what it says. I have had to do this many times. I will share a personal testimony concerning this.

Not very many months ago, I was severely struggling with the concept of the love of God for me specifically. I became so good at juggling so many Scripture references that would act as proof that the Lord did not, would not, and could not love me. I brazenly ignored many other passages or would use the Bible against the Bible. How deceived I was! I read through a book that directly confronted this practice and I was pierced through. I did not feel like God loved me. But the truth was in front of me. Instead of approaching that time of prayer with grief and hardness in my heart, I instead confessed, "God, thank you for loving me more than anything or anyone ever could. Thank you for loving me in your holiness. Thank you for loving me enough to send your Son on my behalf. Thank you for loving me enough to be reconciled to me. Thank you for wanting me." Those felt contrary to where I was at, but it was truth. The hardness of my heart began to fall off. What was once impossible for me to grasp is now the heartbeat that I live every day by. So let us confess the greatness of our Lord this morning!

There are many times in my past where I have been called to action on something. Whether it be that I was lazy, didn't actually care, or simply didn't know how to begin, I found a trend in my heart. I would wait for something to take place in me before I started to move on something. Instead of letting the change be in my action, I delayed in prayer. For subjects like "Believers Believe" I would pray the prayer, "Lord, help my unbelief!" After praying that, I would wait. I would hope to believe. If I found any doubt, I would then write it off as the Lord hasn't given that to me yet. When He is ready for me to believe it, He will give it to me. What I failed to see with that man who spoke those words to Jesus, "...help my unbelief," was very much walking by faith already. He was not passive, but active. And that is exactly what the writer of Hebrews is calling us to do.

Faith is actionable. There are things you can do to reinforce your faith. How can you say you believe the Lord heals if you never pray for healing? And how will that belief grow unless you begin to pray for someone's healing and people are getting healed? How can we say that we believe in the power of prayer if it is only used in our most dire of situations and casually before family dinner? And how can we see prayer in power unless we are truly praying without ceasing? So we see there is a difficult balance. We tend to not do the things we don't actually believe, but in doing those things our faith would be reinforced. What do we do here?

Many of our issues stem from how fleshly our perspective is. We walk by sight. We want to see that we believe, and we will not believe unless we see what we ought to believe in. That old man really loves to come up in this way. Rather than putting the flesh to death and letting the old man perish in its unbelief, we put it on a pedestal and exalt Christian skepticism. This needs to come to an end. We must take the position of belief as believers. If there is an evil heart of unbelief in us, let us remember that it leads to departing from the living God.

What application are you implementing today?

Not very long ago, I taught a message at my old church in Gilbert, Evident Life Church. While I was there, I taught what has served to be one of the most instrumental teachings I have ever given. The title of it was "Believers Believe". What a concept! My text that I came out of was Hebrews 3:7-4:10. So I will confess my own personal bias toward this lesson as I sit and reflect on this truth. Believers believe.

It is very interesting how the writer of Hebrews recognizes the problem of unbelief in the midst of this. The people hardened their hearts toward God. They tested God, despite seeing what He had done for forty years. They went astray in their heart and did not know God's ways. So the result was that they could not enter the rest God prepared before hand. As I look around at many proclaimed believers today, I see where that rest is lacking. I have seen in myself where that rest was lacking. The writer of Hebrews begins with an inserted warning. Beware!

"Beware!" says Hebrew's author. There is something that threatens you. There is a sincerity of caution that we must take. We must beware lest there be something in us that could serve as the same detriment as the Israelites in the wilderness. Interestingly, the writer of Hebrews is not cautioning them against spiritual warfare here. He is not raising the alarm on their enemies being present. He is not concerned with their health, finances, government, or any such thing as what we concern over. He is concerned with their belief. If there is an evil heart of unbelief, the next place it leads is to depart from the living God. And how many have you seen walk in such a way? They begin to doubt and that doubt begins to drift. We have elevated Christian skepticism so much that it is now a normal thing among believers to not believe. How shameful for the people of God to not take Him at His word!

We are instead encouraged to exhort one another! Spur each other on in the faith! Do not be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hold fast your confidence steadfast to the end.

What we are faced with is a terrifying challenge. 

Let me spell out for you what is being marked. Who rebelled against God? Was it not those who were saved? Who was He angry with? Was it not those who having been saved continued in sin? Who did not enter the rest? Was it not those who did not obey? Now we see all of these things and our brain runs to, "We aren't justified by works but by faith!" Oh how this truth has served to hinder our ability to read what Scripture so clearly portrays! Verse 19 makes it abundantly clear. They could not enter in because of unbelief. Everything meets at this point.

Faith and faithfulness are not two separate things. The one who has genuine faith will be faithful. The one who is insincere in their faith will be plagued by unfaithfulness. Can we see the truth that believers believe? Let us stop casting doubt and treating it like good stewardship. The nature of the believer is to believe upon the Lord. Exhort one another in faith. Let yourself be exhorted in faith. Beware, lest their be in you, O reader, an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.

What lesson are you taking today?

There are many instances throughout Scripture where the audience in instructed in consideration. The challenge is a simple one that causes somebody to step back and analyze what is before them. If we consider what consideration is, we instinctively are brought to a place of deeper meditation on the subject. It is so easy to simply go through life without thinking about what we are doing. The instructions for consideration acts as a pause button before things continue to play out. A perfect example of this comes from the book of Haggai.

While the temple of God lies in ruins, the people that ought to be dedicated to Him are decorating their homes. The Lord then tells them to consider their ways, and bear witness of the consequences of their actions. See what became of them. See how the consideration turned their ways from themselves unto the Lord. It is a similar consideration in Hebrews 3.

Right out of the gate, the writer for Hebrews tells them to consider the Apostle and High Priest of their confession, Jesus Christ. The writer follows it up with how Jesus was faithful in this house that He built. He gives the example of Moses who was a servant of this house. But for what purpose should the reader consider this? It is because the writer is about to instruct the believer into the same level of faithfulness.

To, in any degree, not walk faithfully would be as rebellion. We have seen many Scriptures where this is proven to be the case. Consider this!

The writer of Hebrews, as well as the original audience, is familiar with Scripture. They know the implications of what is being said. Should they not continue in belief, like those in the wilderness they would be destroyed. The wrath of God abides upon the sons of disobedience. The call to action is one of faithfulness. Consider He who is faithful! Are you living faithfully as He did?

What lesson are you seeing for the original audience?

One of the most important words in all of Scripture is therefore. The reason I am so emphatic of its importance is because it serves as a continual reminder that the text we are dealing with is not isolated. As good as we may pride ourselves on being good contextual readers, it is a learned skill to hold all of the study from the previous weeks with what we are going through now. We can often forget that many of these letters were written, not to be broken apart, but to be read all together as a whole. While we are zooming in on the text the way we are, it is essential to remember the context that surrounds what we read, and the therefore naturally takes us there.

Let us then consider that first therefore. A simple question we can ask is this, "What is the therefore there for?" The previous section was in reference to Jesus, the Captain of our salvation. He took upon flesh and released those who were subject to bondage. He was proven to be faithful to the end. And that is exactly the direction the writer of Hebrews takes it. He Himself has suffered, being tempted, and is able to aid those who are tempted. The author exhorts the believer to consider Jesus!

What does this consideration accomplish in light of the therefore? Once again we remember that the people were suffering through intense persecution and the temptation to give in was intense. But Jesus was continuously faithful to Him who appointed Him. And Jesus has appointed them. Notice the example given of how Moses was faithful as a servant, but the Jesus was faithful as the One who built the house. And then it immediately goes into how we are Jesus' house if we hold that confidence and rejoicing of hope firm to the end. What does that mean? Jesus will be faithful to us, but also, we get to be faithful to Him as a servant in His house.

From this we are faced with that second contextual therefore that quotes Psalm 95. What is that calling back to? Everything that we just covered! Moses was faithful as a servant. Jesus is faithful as the builder. We belong to Jesus and now we have the option to be faithful as well!

Just a little bit of contextual reading can provide great insights into the word of God. It can also provide great insights in the way we minister unto others. Do we see that Jesus addressed the context of people's lives? They were not simply the product of their current state. He saw beneath the surface. We can learn a lot about the importance of context if we would just apply the same rules we have in Bible reading to every day situations. Context matters. The humble therefore reminds us of this fact.

What connections are you making?

We begin in Hebrews 3 with a therefore. This is one of the most powerful contextual words. It means everything that is following is directly tied to what has just been taught. Out of Jesus being the Captain of our salvation, we are are instructed to consider Him, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. In this consideration, we are given a direction to consider as well. He was faithful to the Father who appointed Him.

A comparison gets brought into the conversation. Moses was faithful in all His house. What the Lord entrusted to him, Moses proved himself to have done well, but Jesus is counted worthy of more glory than him. Moses was faithful with his occupancy in the house. He managed it well and honored the Lord in the instructions given. But the house never belonged to Moses. He simply occupied it. Jesus is the builder of this house. Moses was a servant. Jesus is the Son. Jesus is faithful with that which He owns. This drives a point that the writer of Hebrews carries forward. We are the house of the Lord if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

The subject matter shifts from Christ, who is faithful, to the reader. Another therefore is presented. Psalm 95:7-11 is quoted, a Psalm that has very strong Messianic ties. The emphasis is critical. If you hear His voice, do not resist Him. Do not harden your heart. Those in the wilderness also bore witness of the wonders of the working of the Lord. They received the words given by Moses. Still they hardened their hearts. The result was rebellion and disobedience. The cause was their unbelief. So the believer is warned by Hebrews. Be wary lest there be an evil heart of unbelief in you! It may cause you to depart from the living God.

Interestingly, despite their being this introspective concern to maintain belief, rather than turning and being self-focused, the instruction is to encourage and exhort one another. Spur each other on to continue the faith! Take the opportunity of today to do so! That exhortation can keep us from being hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Encourage one another to keep the faith and hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.

The warning is reiterated. Just because you have heard and received does not mean there is no chance of consequences. It was those who were saved from Egypt who rebelled! Those that continued in sin bore consequences of the wrath of God. He swore that they would not enter His rest because they would not obey. The final statement of the chapter may prove to be a confusing one to many who claim Christ. We see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. But wasn't the problem that they did not obey? Scripture does not make such a distinction. If you obey, it is because you believe. If you disobey, it is because you do not believe. Those who have sincere faith will be sincerely faithful. They cannot be separated. As Jesus believed the Father, He walked in obedience. The Captain of our salvation proved what faith looks like. We would do well to not make a distinction where Jesus does not. Be faithful, you who are full of faith.

What observation are you making in today's Scripture?

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. 3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. 5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, 6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
8Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
9Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.
10Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
11So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
-Hebrews 3

One of the more terrifying prayers that I have prayed is one that I will encourage for you to join in. "Lord, would you help me to suffer well." This is incredibly difficult to pray, for it ensures you will endure trial. You will not shrink back nor flee, for the Lord is faithful to such humble prayers. He will show you how to suffer by bringing you through suffering and giving you the endurance to do so well. He will give you boldness to embrace the trial, rather than flee from it. The Lord cares greatly for your sanctification. Will you join in His concern for your growth and perfection in Him? Let us pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are also praying this prayer today. Lord, give them the strength to endure these trials well and count it all joy. Amen.

Scripture spends a lot of words discussing the believer's mindset around suffering. In fact, we are specifically instructed to have a mind that joins in suffering. There are some serious promises that come along with those who embrace the mindset of suffering that Jesus did as well. I will confess, as I know I am in good company, that I am not that eager for suffering. But I ought not seek to avoid it as I do. Take a look at this following passage form 1 Peter.

Christ, our Captain, has suffered for us in the flesh. We are told to arm ourselves with that same mind. When we arm ourselves with that same mind, Scripture says we have ceased from sin! Now that is a bold statement that absolutely requires some explanation. Consider this for a moment, Jesus, who embraced this mindset around suffering, was without sin. the Scripture says He was made perfect through suffering. He never compromised due to suffering, but continued to walk in obedience, confirming His righteousness. That may be interesting enough, but how does that make us cease from sin? Let me ask this question in response. Why do you give into temptation? Is it not comforts that often drive you to your sins? There is suffering in denying temptation! When we have built our mindsets around avoiding suffering when at all possible, we make ourselves a perfect candidate for giving into temptation. It will end the suffering. But when we are armed with the mind of Christ around suffering, we will not live for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

A simple application that may drive us forward is the simple adage, "Do hard things." Build your life with discipline. Wake up early to get into the word. Eat a healthy diet. Work out and be active. When suffering comes, go through it, don't dodge it. Don't fear confrontation, but embrace it. Struggle through your relationships and fight for reconciliation on the other side. Stop running away. Learn to be comfortable with suffering for,

if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ
-1 Peter 1:6b-7

The Lord is working out our faith and perfecting it through much of our suffering. Let us keep our eyes on things above that we would see the move of God through these. Follow the Good Shepherd. Follow the Captain of our salvation.

What application are you implementing today?

To understand that Jesus is the Captain of our salvation is to recognize that He is the one we must follow. Most of us find that to be a suitable reality. After all, we have signed up for following Jesus. I have grown in the impression that we don't always realize what that means. Most believers I talk with believe that the Lord will keep us from dangerous situations and lead us into comfortable lives. Maybe we won't say it that way, but we will live like it. When suffering comes, we turn to the Lord like He has done something wrong. In reality, I think we have poor theology around what following the Lord looks like.

The Lord is the Captain of our salvation. He was made perfect through suffering. If we are following the Lord, why do we suddenly think we ought to be preserved from suffering? Being a believer heavily includes that we would sign up for suffering. Are we willing to follow the Lord through that suffering? He has joyfully engaged in that for what was set before Him. What was it that was set before Him but the reconciliation with His people? That was worth the suffering to Him. Surely the Lord can be worth the suffering we must endure.

It often astounds me the attitude of the apostles in their suffering. They rejoiced because they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake. Even in myself I can instead turn to self-blame or anger at the circumstances. Joy in trial is often a far thought from our minds. Can we follow our Lord through such trials and walk as He walked, suffering joyfully?

We do not fear the evil we await. The Lord is in fact with us. That does not mean we go through no trial. That does not mean we do not suffer. The valley of the shadow of death is a suffering state. These are not the green pastures and still waters the previous passage speaks of. The are deep, treacherous valleys that are laden with danger. Nevertheless, the Lord, our Shepherd, our Captain, leads us through these places. He will guide our steps. But if, out of fear, we turn and run, we are leaving the One who would be our guide. I pray that we may be willing to follow our Captain, even through the suffering we have been promised.

What lesson are you taking away?

Having already discussed once again the situation that the original audience was facing, I will not exhaust it here. I will, however, reiterate how intense the persecution was that Christians were facing. The road before them was almost certain death, if not continuously fleeing. Let me give you some perspective on just how bad the situation was.

It is a widely held understanding that the nature of distant prophecy requires a near fulfillment to validate the prophet. This is true when it comes to the book of Revelation. A large majority of what was prophesied in Revelation was actually fulfilled in Nero's reign. As a matter of fact, the persecution was so intense and so severe that some schools of thought actually believe that the reign of Nero is the Great Tribulation Jesus speaks about. Many Christians are terrified of the idea that we would go through such tribulation, making claims about how the Lord would not have His people suffer like that. Ladies and gentlemen, such things happened to the early church. It was on the scale enough that it is held to be a near fulfillment of what is spoken of in Revelation.

Many of us might begin to understand how terrifying this may seem. The people are equivocally being tempted with the mark of the beast or being threatened with death. To most, death is the most terrifying option. But what is it that is spoken in the verse above? Jesus, in entering death and over-throwing death, has released the captive who was held in bondage by the fear of death. What can you do to a believer who has no fear of death, neither for himself nor those he loves?

Often when we circle the conversation around fear of death, we speak from a perceived view of the self. Most people fear their own death. Many believers have come to terms with their own deaths, however, and are yet so anxious for the death of their brothers, sisters, and their own families. Living in the reality of the work of Jesus can also free us from the fear of death for others in the household of faith. Are we so set at ease to walk in faith of the work of the cross? Or are we so accustomed to doubt that we hold fear as the default response to death? This seems to be the question that is being challenged for the believers of the day. In light of this, it seems only so appropriate to share Paul's words out of 1 Corinthians 15.

There is no doubt that a major part of the lesson for the original audience is directed toward the fear of death. Death has been conquered! The captive has been set free! The believer can worship freely the Lord who has purchased this freedom with his own blood. While this may be one lesson, there are still many more to be had. What lesson do you see for the original audience?

So far the text in Hebrews has drawn a continuous conclusion of the greatness of Christ. There has been given proof and evidence of the excellence of Christ, as well as warnings for neglecting so great a salvation. The message of the greatness of God and the fear of drifting away have been clearly presented. There has been a continuous elevation of Jesus and it continues here. Not only is this the One who is crowned with glory and honor, but this is the One who was crowned with such because of the suffering He endured.

Now why would all of this matter so much to the original audience? What connection is being made? Let's recall what was going on at the time of this being written. Christianity is made illegal and Emperor Nero is brutalizing the believers. Judaism was in fact legal. If the people would renounce Jesus as the Messiah and join to the synagogue, they would be spared the persecution that the Christians are enduring. It is ultimately an issue of pride that would have these believers draw back into perdition and reject Jesus as Lord.

This is where we look upon the Humble King. Jesus endured suffering. He did not count His own life as something to exalt, but He endured suffering that He might pave that way forward for the believer. After all, the believers of that day were becoming extremely well acquainted with suffering. The might be suffering, but Jesus suffered first, and He suffered for them. And for those that are enduring, He is not ashamed to call them brethren. The final verse in this section sums up the connection extremely well in showing the model of Christ and then the hope for the believer.

The believer can entrust themselves to the Lord in their suffering. They need not hide from it or draw away from the hurt they have experienced. They can confidently lay it down before the Lord who understands their suffering. It is an amazing thing that Jesus embraced suffering for the sake that He would also be able to aid those who are tempted as a result of it. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

What connections do you see?

What we have in this week's section of Scripture is one of the most humbling realities of the Christian faith. We are presented with who Jesus is, what He did, why He did it, and how He views us in light of it. There are such deep concepts that I still have such a difficult time grabbing a hold of because of how deeply profound they are. Let us look at the Captain of our salvation and see what Hebrews tells us He is.

The passage begins in revealing that it was fitting for Jesus to be our Captain in the way that He was. He led many sons to glory. And how would anyone else fit that bill? To lead someone, you must be able and willing to traverse the territory ahead. I cannot imagine a tour guide that tells the group to go on without him because he is afraid of the trail. No one would follow. Jesus led through the trail that we would follow. He led through suffering and was made perfect or complete through suffering. It is the nature of mankind to endure suffering and we are promised that we would. In enduring suffering to the extreme, the Son ushered the path forward for the believer.

But why did the Lord do such a thing? Why ought He go through this? The very next verse explains it to us. He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one. The Son of God is begotten of the Father, and in the redemption that we have, we are begotten again of God. In the same way that we would recognize Isaac as the child of promise and Ishmael as the child of the flesh, so we have Jesus, the Son of promise, and Adam, the one who led many into destruction (Romans 5). One man caused us to inherit death, but the other everlasting life. The result of us being united then with the Father leads Jesus to a profound truth. He is not ashamed to call us brethren.

Consider the deep truth that you are considered a brother of Jesus! And if you are a brother then you are a son of God! Now for any ladies who might be reading, I want to reinforce that this has very little to do with gender. In the same way that I can be the bride of Christ, so you can be a son of God. It is more concerned with what a son would receive. If you are a son of God, the brother of Christ, then you can receive the inheritance. Daughters did not receive inheritance in those days. That is why this is so crucial. And He is not ashamed to call you His brethren.

The profoundness of this truth is found in following verses which reveal that Jesus took upon the form of flesh to taste death for everyone. He came to release His brethren from the bondage of the fear of death. O that we would learn to live in that purchased peace! We have been released from that bondage! This privilege He did not give to angels, but only to the seed of Abraham, which Romans reveals is those who draw near by faith. He was made to be like His brethren in all things. He endured the limitations of man. This He did that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God. He endured all of this that He might adequately aid those who are also being tempted. Our Captain, our Shepherd, led through the valley of the shadow of death, that we might fear no evil.

What observations are you making through this passage?

10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying:

“I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”

13 And again:
“I will put My trust in Him.”

And again:
“Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”

14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. 17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
-Hebrews 2:10-18

I will make this as simple as I can because I want you to remember the instructions. My first instruction will have you turn off your phone so you won't be able to come back to it while I have you doing this.

1. Turn off your phone and put it in a different room.
2. Get away from everyone. (Go to your car, a closet, the bathroom, etc.)
3. Sit in silence and consider the works of the Lord.
4. Wait.

It is a simple 4 step process. Let the time pass naturally. Your concern isn't how long you are doing it for that matters at this moment. What matters is that you are communing with the Lord Almighty. Stand in awe and be amazed.

In our Young Adults Group, we have been studying through the spiritual disciplines. One of those disciplines is solitude and silence. It is a practice that we rarely get the opportunity to take in our busy world. There are far too many things competing for our attention, and we have idolized productivity so much that we actually don't view sitting and waiting upon the Lord as a good use of our time. With that, we miss out on some incredible spiritual moments. We also lose the ability to stand in awe and be amazed.

In light of the considerations through Hebrews 2:5-9, I return to this discipline once again. Devices get shut off and placed in a different room. Chores can wait. Meetings will eventually happen. God can give the grace for me to get done with those things that need to get done. I do not need to have the heavy weight of the world upon my shoulders. Instead I can simply be present with Him and wait upon Him.

Are you able to sit and be amazed with the Lord? I encourage you to give yourself that space and time in solitude simply to be in awe of Him. If you do not find it as a good use of your time, reanalyze your priorities. If you are simply too busy to spend this time with the Lord, then you are simply too busy. Learn to say no to the things of this world that you may learn to say yes to the Lord and the time you can spend with Him. If you do not know how, you will not know until you being. Sit in silence and turn your mind upon Him. Don't let the cares and affairs of this life distract you from the beauty of being alone with Him. Consider the works of His hands. Get lost in the thoughts of His creation. Recognize His power and might. Humbly recognize your state before Him and rejoice in the work of Jesus that you would be welcomed into His plan.

What application are you implementing today?

Reading through this passage has given me pause. We have discussed the excellence of Christ, the authority of God, and even stopped to worship the Lord. I question within myself, have I actually stopped just to be in awe of God and give thanks in quiet meditation for the work that He has accomplished?

The Psalm that is quoted asks a very deep question unto the Lord. Truly, what is man the God Almighty would be mindful of Him? Why should God not only consider man, but take care of man? I am caused to sit back and ponder this reality that God truly does consider us. He truly cares for us and has made for us to have dominion. He has included us on this divine plan of restoration. You'd imagine that if someone were to go through all the trouble that the Lord were going through for man, that must mean that man is incredibly valuable. I don't see it that way.

I remember when I had first gotten a cell phone. There was truly nothing impressive about it other than the fact that it was a phone that functioned like a phone. I could call and text on it. There was one day that I had misplaced my phone. My heart sank into my stomach. I was panicking and worrying that I may never find it. I tore apart my room looking for it. I was pulling cushions off of the couch hoping to find it. I was in tears and in shambles. One might think that with all the trouble I was going through to find this phone, it must be worth some insane value. On the contrary, it wasn't worth much. What my drive showed about the phone was how much it meant to me. It showed how much I loved that phone.

The effort that the Lord has undergone for mankind is not so much a testament of how amazing we are, but of how much the Lord loves us. He does not love us because we are amazing or impressive. We were designed to be fill with His love. He made us that way. He pours out His love through the Holy Spirit. So as I am reading through this passage, I want to stop the consideration of the self for a moment. As I stated yesterday, we get far too caught up in application and concerned with what I can do. I just want to stand in awe and be amazed.

Here is another short analogy that we can consider. On my wife's and my drive back from our honeymoon, we made a stop at the Grand Canyon. It was late and most people were gone. There was not a cloud in the sky. All artificial light was gone. The entirety of the Canyon was illuminated by one of the brightest full moons I have ever seen. The stars were shining bright and I feel like I witnessed a once in a lifetime sight. My breath was truly taken away. I remember standing there looking at the expanse of the Canyon illuminated by the moon and it felt like everything stopped. I was not concerned with what to do or where to go next or the drive ahead of me. All that mattered at that moment was taking in the sight in front of me. I was standing in awe, amazed. The lesson I take from reading this passage is that very same moment. I must stand in awe and be amazed.

What lesson are you taking away from this?

It is an unfortunate reality in the modern church that we have lost the ability to sit in awe and wonder. When it comes to devotions or teachings, we long for application. We want to see how it applies to our lives and what course of action I need to take. The problem with that line of thinking is that the Scriptures do not always lend itself to application. When Job went through his trials and came face to face with the Lord Almighty, the Lord primarily gave information and not application. Sure there was an application present, but it was the fear of the Lord and the revelation of God that brought him to silencing himself. We may not have direct lessons in front of us with application laced through the text, but what we do have is what the modern reader had, a lesson in how Jesus fulfills the Scriptures and restores His people.

It would be an obvious reminder to the original audience that mankind failed to uphold all things with the dominion that the Lord gave. We humble ourselves in light of this passage recognizing that the Lord is mindful of such lowly creatures as ourselves. But to what extent was He? He sent the Son. While we do not see all things put under man, we do see Jesus. And what frame did Jesus take? He took the frame of a man, one who is also lower than the angels.

It is commonly recognized what a humble form Jesus took upon. He did not come in the exaltation of man. He was born in a small town and had a manger as his resting place. He had no place to truly call home and His early years were marked by fleeing for His life. When it came to ministry, He was not a popular individual. He was despised. When we look upon the death He suffered, it was humiliating. Displayed naked upon a cross, having been scourged, mocked, and ridiculed, He endured the worst of punishments for His innocence. But do we see even in the divine hierarchy what the Lord did? The Son that was exalted and made all things demoted Himself to be made a little lower than the angels. But He was crowned with glory and honor that He might taste death for everyone.

What might the lesson be in seeing all of these things? The result is one that causes the audience to recognize the greatness of the Son. The subject here is not the listener to apply action to their lives, but to apply themselves to understanding. Jesus is the fulfillment of the One who brings all things under subjection to His feet. As we follow Him, we get to join in that reality.

What lesson are you seeing?

We have already briefed on the connections through our previous devotion, but I want for us to dive deeper. Psalm 8 is being quoted here, and it is out of that we see the joining together of the destiny of man and the work of the Lord. The Psalm is not very long, so I will share it here as it will help us to glean from what Hebrews is telling us.

As bookends in this passage, we have the excellence of the name of the Lord being declared. Interestingly, is that not exactly what Hebrews is doing? Hebrews 1:4 explicitly talks about the excellence of the name of Christ in comparison to the angels. It is that very thought that leads us into what we have been exploring. The Psalm testifies of the glory of God being set in the heavens, but then takes a look upon creation. Strength is ordained out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants. In the consideration of all the works of the Lord, man is considered. There is a special ordination for mankind. Though he is made lower than the angels, he is crowned with glory and honor. What other creature is crowned as mankind is? There is none. But that has less to do with how incredible man is and how incredible the Lord is. For it is the Lord who has placed all things under subjection to man. Our God is excellent.

Providing that brief context, we step back into Hebrews 2. There was nothing left under man that was not subject to man. When man relinquished that dominion through the fall, the world fell into chaos. It is then Jesus who brings that back into right order. The Excellent One that was testified of took upon the form of man to restore these things. And we look unto that day that all things are brought back under the feet of Jesus.

We bear witness to the humility of the Son but also the majesty of the Son in this passage. There is a humble realization that the passage recognizes. The world was not given in subjection to angels. It was entrusted to mankind. Psalm 8 is quoted here, and from it we glean some incredible truths.

The Lord Almighty is mindful of mankind. He considers them and cares for them. Man does not reach as high in the hierarchy as the angels. We are not divine. But what is it that we see?

The earth was not given in subjection to the angels, but was entrusted to man. While we are the creatures made in the image of God, we are made as less than divine beings. It is the destiny of mankind to be crowned with glory and honor and have all things in subjection under their feet. But something happened. Adam fell. 

Sin entered into the world through Adam. Rather than the world being subject to man, man became slaves of sin, made to obey it in its lusts. Everything was made to be subject him. This was what God designed and destined for mankind. Now, we do not see everything subject under him. The writer of Hebrews recognizes this, but with an interjection. "But we see Jesus..."

Mankind was made a little lower than the angels. When Jesus came to take on the form of flesh, He lowered Himself to the same form. He was made a little lower than the angels. In humbling Himself to such a degree, just as sin entered by one man, so righteousness enters by One Man, the Man Jesus Christ. He was crowned with glory and honor that He might lead mankind in that same place, righting what the Lord designed for man to be that sin had corrupted. As such, He tasted death for everyone. The victory belongs to Jesus.


What observations are you taking note of?