Abide

Read: Hebrews 10:11-25

The author of Hebrews argued the supremacy of Christ in the opening chapters of the book and spends the middle of the book arguing for the sufficiency of Christ. In these eight verses, the author of Hebrews connects the two by quoting from Psalm 110 which he quoted from to show the supremacy of Christ (Hebrews 1:13) and from the verses he quoted from talking about the coming New Covenant from Jeremiah 31:33-34 (Hebrews 8:8-12). Jesus’ offering was himself and was once and for all. After having offered himself, he made provision for sin, so animal sacrifices are no longer necessary. Now, he is waiting for his second coming when his enemies will become a footstool and when the word of God is so prevalent, there will be no need to declare “know the Lord”.

In the interim between the sacrifice and return, the author of Hebrews talks about what Christians should do:

• Verses 19-23: The author of Hebrews notes the confidence by which believers can draw near to God in confidence. This confidence is brought on the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ, and there is no second guessing. The certainty of the promise is insured by a God who cannot lie (Hebrews 6:9-16).
• Verse 24: Believers should encourage one another onto to love and good works, rather than worrying rote religion. (Hebrews 10:1-10)
• Verse 25: Believers should assemble together. This is almost a prerequisite to what was said in verse 24, and the author says to do it all the more as the final days approach. The book of Hebrews was probably written to a group of persecuted Jews (Hebrews 10:32-33), and some of them had deserted. In any case, the author realized that their confidence was greater as a group than the sum of their confidence as individuals, and they would need this confidence.

Jesus’ work is done. In the meantime, Christians are waiting for his return. All the while, they are drawing confidence from the surety of the promises of God through Jesus. The confidence can be solidified and encouraged by other believers too. For this reason every Christians should be a part of a local church so they can encourage and be encouraged by other Christians. It is evident this chapter that the recipients of the letter were doing good together as the first church in Acts 2:42-47 was doing.

Lord, I’m waiting for your return. In the meantime, help me and my church be confident and do good!