Hebrews 4: Today, rest in the Kingdom of the Lord

Psalm 95:7–11

$7$ ... Today, if only you would hear his voice,

$8$ “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,

as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,

$9$ where your ancestors tested me;

they tried me, though they had seen what I did.

$10$ For forty years I was angry with that generation;

I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,

and they have not known my ways.’

$11$ So I declared on oath in my anger,

‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

The author of Hebrews focuses on the word “Today.” of this Psalm. The Lord expected His people to enter His resting place (the Promised Land), just as He expects His people to enter His kingdom today. The Promised Land was a shadow of His kingdom. Faith and obedience were necessary to enter the Promised Land; likewise, faith and obedience are necessary to enter His kingdom today. Those who enter will find true rest and peace.

Hebrews 3: Jesus Is Greater Than Moses

Jesus is greater than Moses: Jesus is the Son over God's house, whereas Moses was a servant in it. This means that rebelling against Jesus carries even greater weight—and greater consequences—than rebelling against Moses.

Hebrews 3:6–11 (The Message)

"Now, if we can only keep a firm grip on this bold confidence, we’re the house! That’s why the Holy Spirit says,
Today, please listen;
don’t turn a deaf ear as in 'the bitter uprising,'
that time of wilderness testing!
Even though they watched me at work for forty years,
your ancestors refused to let me do it my way;
over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked, oh, so provoked!
I said, 'They’ll never keep their minds on God;
they refuse to walk down my road.'
Exasperated, I vowed,
'They’ll never get where they’re going,
never be able to sit down and rest.'"

Just as there were severe consequences for rebelling in the wilderness during Moses' time, there are even greater consequences for turning away from Jesus today.
 

Hebrews 2: Jesus, the Champion/Pioneer of salvation

 

Jesus was sent by the Lord not as an elohim (a spiritual being or angel), but as a human being, so that He might experience human suffering and conquer death on the cross. Jesus is exalted far above the angels precisely because He became human and felt what we feel. He is our Pioneer and Champion who conquered death for us. Hebrews 2 references Psalm 22—a Messianic psalm that foretells the crucifixion—and draws from the passage immediately following the portrayal of suffering, where the Messiah joins His brothers and sisters in worship.

Hebrews 2:10–12 (The Message) It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory. Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn’t hesitate to treat them as family, saying,

"I’ll tell my good friends, my brothers and sisters, all I know about you;

I’ll join them in worship and praise to you."

Hebrews 1: Jesus is the supreme revelation

 

The Letter to the Hebrews exhorts Jewish believers not to abandon their faith in Jesus, the Messiah. Out of all the nations on earth, the Lord chose Israel to reveal Himself, entrusting them with the prophets, the Law, and the covenant. Naturally, Jewish readers held Moses, the prophets, the angels, and the Torah in high esteem. However, Hebrews opens by declaring that Jesus is the ultimate and supreme revelation of God. He is the charaktēr (charaktēr)—the exact stamp and imprint of God's nature. Ultimately, to abandon Jesus is to abandon God Himself.

Hebrews 1:1–3 Long ago, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways. But in these last days, He has spoken to us directly through His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He created the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word.

Titus 3: regeneration

Christian religion is different from other religions. In oriental religion, there is some emphasis in finding some connection with the universe through emptying the mind. In many other religions, the emphasis is what a person does; and even others, in what group a person belongs. In Christianity, the emphasis is in regeneration through the Spirit as we read in:

4 When God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. 
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The implication is that a Christian knows that he must love his enemies, even people against Jesus, because we were enemies of Jesus before repentance/regeneration. Followers of an oriental religion with emphasis on the self and find some connection with the Universe are prone to keep distance from their enemies. Followers of a religions with emphasis on good deeds despise people of bad deeds. For instance, it is very common that world governments persecute Christians as it happened during the first century in Rome. Even so, Titus 3 began with:

1-2 Remind the people to respect the government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand. No insults, no fights. God’s people should be bighearted and courteous.

Titus 2: dignified

I am getting older. Paul told Titus:

"But as for you, proclaim the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance."

— Titus 2:1–2

I understand this to mean that an older man must be a gentleman—someone with a dignified manner, defined as "having a respectable, honorable, or impressive appearance and manner." An older man should be worthy of respect, but that does not mean he should force or demand respect from others.

Paul continues:

"God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness."

— Titus 2:11–14 (The Message)

An older man who believes in Jesus must experience a changed life—even in his later years. This new life transforms him into a true gentleman of dignity, not for his own pride or glory, but for the glory of Jesus.

Titus 1: good leaders in a new church

Titus was in Crete, establishing a new church. Note that it was different from Timothy dealing with a well established church in Ephesus. Paul knew there were some false teachers there preaching asceticism, focusing on genealogies, Jewish myths and commandments, etc. It was necessary to have good leaders in the new church.

5-9 I left you in charge in Crete so you could complete what I left half-done. Appoint leaders in every town according to my instructions. As you select them, ask, “Is this man well-thought-of? Is he committed to his wife? Are his children believers? Do they respect him and stay out of trouble?” It’s important that a church leader, responsible for the affairs in God’s house, be looked up to—not pushy, not short-tempered, not a drunk, not a bully, not money-hungry. He must welcome people, be helpful, wise, fair, reverent, have a good grip on himself, and have a good grip on the Message, knowing how to use the truth to either spur people on in knowledge or stop them in their tracks if they oppose it.

The leaders should have a good reputation from a good character. How come this good reputation? From the way he deals with his spouse and children, from his everyday life. In our society, leaders are chosen by his curriculum and not by their everyday lives. What is done inside the house, in secret, is very important to the Lord.