Long ago, I had a professor who walked into my graduate-level New Testament class and announced, “We save the book of Hebrews for November, when you are weary and anxious for the Second Coming.” Indeed! The Hebrews of the New Testament were tired. They suffered for their faith in Christ, and they anticipated that Jesus would come back in their time, relieving them of the shameful trials they endured. They were ready to give up. (Sound familiar?)
Here we are again, in a November that finds us weary and anxious: tired of the inconveniences, tired of the losses, tired of our own grudging obedience—just plain TIRED. We try to look ahead, but our confidence wanes. This is NOT what we had in mind. How do we keep going, not just for ourselves but for those whom we love? How do we find the bandwidth to reinvent continually our old, comfortable routines?
The author of Hebrews gives us two answers. We can only keep going through:
1. The assurance that Christ died for our sins ONCE, and He never has to do it again.
Hebrews 2:9 “...He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.”
Hebrew 9:12 “...He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”
Hebrews 10:14 “For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
2. The encouragement of each other.
Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with everyone...”
Hebrews 13:1 “Let mutual love continue...”
Hebrews 13:15 “Let us continually offer praise...”
Jesus defeated death! The greatest encouragement we have is that separation from God is DONE. We are His beloved. Go out today and be His people!