Walking With Christ

Webers.Home · Mar 21, 2022

.
• Heb 10:21-22 . . Since we have a high priest over the house of God, let us
draw near to God with a sincere heart, in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience

The Greek word translated "guilty" is okay as far is it goes, but what it really
means is condemned, i.e. rejected, defective, unacceptable, disqualified.

This goes all the way back to the forbidden-fruit incident where it's said:
"The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil." (Gen
3:22)

The man didn't become one of them, rather, he became "like" one of them,
i.e. supreme in his own mind, viz: the man became independent and self
reliant.

For example: upon tasting the forbidden fruit, Adam immediately perceived
that full frontal nudity is indecent. Well, his creator hadn't said a word about
decency; Adam came to a decision about it on his own, viz: a dress code
was something Adam felt proper rather than something he was instructed.

Sprinkling was a common ritual in the Old Testament-- sometimes with
water, sometimes with oil, and sometimes with blood --for example: Ex
29:16, Ex 29:21, Lev 14:7, Lev 14 16, and Num 8:7, et al.

Sprinkling typically serves to sanitize things in order to make them suitable
for God's purposes; and some sprinklings are only good for the moment,
requiring additional sprinklings from time to time. The sprinkling spoken of
herein is a one-time sprinkling that never needs repeating. (Heb 10:1-14)
_

Webers.Home · Mar 22, 2022

.
• Heb 10:23 . . Let us cling to the acknowledgment of our faith without
wavering; (for He is faithful that promised)

"He is faithful" could also be said "He is unwavering"

One can scarcely blame the author's Hebrew audience for wondering if
perchance they're making a really big mistake dumping the covenant that
Moses' people made with God as per Deut 29:9-15. A lot is at stake.

For one thing, the covenant is their sacred heritage and their cultural
identity; and for another, the covenant is a contract that obligates God to
lower the boom on His people with some pretty severe penalties for
breaching it: they're all on file at Lev 26:3-38, Deut 27:15-26, and Deut
28:1-69. When Hebrews convert to Christianity, they have to wonder if
maybe they're stepping off into an abyss from whence there is no return.

But the reality is: they have nothing to lose by taking that step because the
original covenant provides neither forgiveness nor atonement for willful sins;
which can be defined as deeds committed by someone knowing beforehand
that what they were about to do is wrong.

"The priest shall atone for the erring soul which sinned inadvertently before
The Lord, so as to atone on his behalf, and it shall be forgiven him. One law
shall apply to anyone who sins inadvertently from the native born of the
children of Israel and the proselyte who resides among them.

. . . But if a person should act highhandedly, whether he is a native born or
a proselyte, he is blaspheming The Lord, and that soul shall be cut off from
among its people. For he has scorned the word of The Lord and violated His
commandment; that soul shall be utterly cut off; for its iniquity is upon it."
(Num 12:28-31, cf. Heb 10:26)

I'm pretty sure it was Num 12:28-31 that Paul had in mind when he
informed his Jewish countrymen "through Jesus everyone who believes is
freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the law of
Moses" (Acts 13:39)

One of the more common willful sins is dishonesty. Everybody knows it's
wrong but go about it anyway. Well; dishonesty is forbidden by the original
covenant.

"You shall not lie, one man to his fellow." (Lev 19:11)

So then, when a Torah-trained Jew tells a lie; he acts highhandedly; viz: he
commits a willful sin for which the original covenant provides neither
forgiveness nor atonement. That man is a scofflaw and in desperate need of
a safety net.

"Cursed be he who does not uphold the words of this Torah, to fulfill them."
(Deut 27:26)
_

Webers.Home · Mar 23, 2022

.
• Heb 10:24 . . And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward
love and good deeds.

Man is a species of life that is quite naturally, and comfortably, inclined to
provoke and annoy each other and bring out the worst in their fellow men. It
is Christ's expectations that his own make an effort to do just the opposite;
viz: bring out the best in each other.
_

Webers.Home · Mar 24, 2022

.
• Heb 10:25 . . Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit
of doing, but let us encourage one another

There are secret believers who avoid being seen with Christians so they'll not
be identified with them, i.e. they're ashamed and embarrassed of their trust
in Christ; especially when Christians are portrayed in one's community as
kooks and extremists.

For example: one day at work one of the guys overheard women in the
office talking about me as a Jesus Freak; which was a common expression
back in the late 60s and early 70s. That would've never happened had I kept
my religion a secret; but of course we dare not.

"If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his
Father's glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38)

Do any of us relish the thought of Jesus looking at us the way he looked at
Peter on the night of his arrest?

"If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you
bear that name." (1Pet 4:16)
_

Webers.Home · Mar 25, 2022

.
• Heb 10:35-36 . .Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has
a great reward. For you have need of perseverance, so that when you have
done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

The kind of perseverance the author is talking about is not the dogged
determination of US Navy SEALS; which are a group of military guys who
absolutely refuse to be beaten at anything you might name. If SEALS were
to play hop-scotch it would turn violent because they don't like to lose.

I would liken the kind of perseverance in mind here as that of a farmer. The
hard rock band ACDC says it's a long ways to the top if you wanna rock and
roll. Well, farmers have a long ways to harvest if they wanna make it to
market. First they have to till the soil, then rake it, then plant seeds, then
wait on mother nature to irrigate them with rain, then they have to wait
more yet for their crops to grow to maturity before harvesting.

Farmers look forward to their harvests; they anticipate them otherwise who
would plow, rake, and plant if there were nothing to expect later on down
the road?

That kind of perseverance anticipates a benefit. Webster's defines anticipate
as: to look forward to as certain; viz: to expect. As a rule, farmers don't
begin the planting season expecting their fields to produce nothing. No, they
plan on going to market because they expect to see crops in the fields at
harvest time. It would be a very strange farmer indeed who looked forward
to the ravages of drought, disease, and insect plagues every year.
_

Webers.Home · Mar 26, 2022

.
• Rom 13:14 . . .Clothe yourselves with The Lord Jesus Christ

Clothing one's self with a personage was a colloquialism many years ago
which would correspond in our day to "emulation" which Webster's defines
as trying to be like someone or something you admire.

They say that imitation is the highest flattery. Well; if you'd like to flatter
Christ; then adopt his integrity, his principles, and his core values. But don't
guess at them; learn them, by instruction, from someone that The Lord has
empowered to teach for him per Eph 4:11-15.
_

Webers.Home · Mar 27, 2022

.
• Heb 12:1 . .Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses all
around us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so
easily entangles us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before
us,

The comparison is made to sporting events-- e.g. baseball, football, track
and field, hockey, basketball, etc --where the audience is basically seated in
a circle or an oval watching the games.

The term "cloud" was apparently an ancient colloquialism simply referring to
large numbers of just about anything. Compare Gen 15:5 where "stars" are
a term for the same purpose.

I don't think the audience in this instance pertains to the spirits of deceased
saints, rather, the ordinary people all around us in our daily lives. The
moment someone comes out as a Christian, then kibitzers, fault-finders and
blood-thirsty skeptics and critics start watching their every move for
opportunities to boo and/or destroy their credibility.

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do
men light a candle, and put it under a bowl, but on a lamp stand; and it
gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in
such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who
is in heaven." (Matt 5:14-16)

I don't know exactly how the world glorifies God when it sees Christians
putting their religion into practice; but I'm pretty sure the world has nothing
but disgust for a hypocrite's religion. (cf. 2Sam 2:14)
_

Webers.Home · Mar 28, 2022

.
• Heb 12:3-4 . . For consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners
against himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. You have
not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin

I'm pretty sure the "sin' spoken of in that passage encompasses a whole lot
more than merely something of your own; it's the entire sphere of evil in
this world.

The Jews to whom the author wrote must have had it pretty good because it
was only a matter of time before Christians were targets for arrows, swords,
lances, pyres, and the teeth of beasts in the coliseum at Rome. Even today,
it is very dangerous to be a Christian in Muslim countries.

Saturday, August 03, 2009, a frenzied mob of 3,000 Muslims stormed the
tiny Pakistani Christian village of Gojra. Enflamed by (unconfirmed) charges
that a Christian had incinerated pages of the Koran, the mob burned down
fifty homes, cremated eight Christians alive, and wounded twenty others.
Thousands of Christians fled the area.

* The spread of communism is hampered by Christian beliefs, scruples, and
virtues. Hence it is to communism's advantage to infiltrate Christian
churches; to subtly indoctrinate them with communist propaganda, to
subvert religion, weaken and/or destroy people's reliance on God, corrupt
their morals, and suppress the faithful who believe in God. This approach
can be just as effective in bringing a country down as bombs and bullets.

If you're in a church that supports Black Lives Matter, approves of intimate
sex education for young children, defends transgender and non binary,
prefers political discussion rather than Bible instruction, and/or approves
Critical Race Theory; I would urge you to seriously consider escaping that
church as a burning building.
_

Webers.Home · Mar 29, 2022

.
• Heb 12:5-6 . . My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do
not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he
loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.

Christians have to expect that God is going to find fault with their lives from
time to time, and take appropriate steps to correct it. So be very cautious
about cursing your luck because it just might be the hand of God at work
rather than one of the Fates.
_

Webers.Home · Mar 30, 2022

.
• Heb 12:7-11 . . If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons;
for what son is there whom a father does not discipline? But if you are
without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are
illegitimate and not sons.

. . . Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we
paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the
Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as
seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His
holiness.

. . . Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful;
nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to
those who have been trained by it.

Child training is quite a bit different than child abuse; training builds
character, while abuse breaks the spirit.

NOTE: Seeing as how most of us lack a red phone line to Heaven's front
desk; there's really no way to know for sure when God is chastening us or if
life in general is just being its usual unpleasant self. That being the case I
suggest we reckon all unpleasantness to be providential in one way or
another; and follow job's example.

"In all this Job did not sin, nor charge God with wrong." (Job 1:22)
_

Webers.Home · Mar 31, 2022

.
• Heb 12:12-13 . .Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak, and the
knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the
limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

That almost sounds like physical therapy; which of course it is. When I had
one of my knees replaced, the therapist had to teach me how to walk all
over again-- how to walk properly because with the bad knee, I couldn't;
and that had gone on for more than a decade. And not only that, but the leg
with the bad knee had become feeble because I favored the other and
wasn't using the bad one to full advantage. So a large percentage of my
therapy involved getting that game leg strong again by means of an exercise
regimen.

The Greek word translated "straight" is orthos (or-thos') which doesn't
necessarily define the shortest distance between two points. It can also
mean smooth and level; in other words: free of tripping hazards; which
someone undergoing treatment for a joint problem (e.g. hips, knees, and
ankles) has to really watch out for. In other words: an orthos path is a
therapeutic path-- in this case in respect of one's spiritual conditioning
rather than their physical conditioning.

Compare Heb 5:12-14 where it says, in so many words: that children don't
arrive from the womb intuitively knowing what people eat. It's only by
instruction and experience that they learn which things are safe for human
consumption and which things are not, viz: which things are nourishing, and
which things will make them sick. By gradually introducing them to a variety
of foods, parents train their growing children to recognize good stuff when
they see it so that in time they will know on their own what's edible and
what's not without having to be babied all the time.
_

Webers.Home · Apr 1, 2022

.
• Heb 12:14a . . Pursue peace with all men,

The Geek word for "peace" is eirene (i-ray'-nay) and means not only a lack
of strife, but also the presence of prosperity; which implies always seeking
the good of others rather than only your own.

People of peace are in an advantaged category.

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
(Matt 5:9)

That looks ahead to a day when peace will be highly valued, and much to be
preferred over animosity and hostility. In that day; truly peaceable folk will
be widely, and commonly, known as children of God-- for now, they aren't:
no, for now they're known by other labels; some neither civil nor courteous.

"For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently
consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth;
and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plotteth
against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh
at him: for He seeth that His day is coming." (Ps 37:10-1 cf. Ps 2:1-12)
_

Webers.Home · Apr 2, 2022

.
• Heb 12:14b . . Pursue holiness, without which no one will see The Lord.

The Greek word translated "pursue" is sometimes translated persecute;
which implies persistence, doggedness, and/or stalking, i.e. determination.

The Greek word translated "holiness" basically refers to purity; defined by
Webster's as chastity, innocence, modesty; i.e. goodness, righteousness,
virtue, morality, decency, decorum, and propriety.

The same Greek word is sometimes translated "sanctification" which is
supposed to be a work in progress involving not only the hand of God, but
also one's own hand. (Rom 6:19, 1Thess 4:4, and 1Tim 2:15)

The word "see" is somewhat ambiguous. It can relate to physical eyesight
and it can also relate to mental perception. I'm inclined to believe it's related
to mental perception in this case.

As an allegory: at one time I had cataracts in both eyes. As a result, my
vision was really blurry because the cataracts scattered light, thus
preventing the natural lenses in my eyes from bringing things into sharp
focus. After surgery to replace the natural lenses with artificial lenses, I can
now see sharply; i.e. my vision's clarity was greatly improved and I'm able
to notice details that were virtually invisible before.

In other words; people with no interest in pursuing holiness lack clarity; i.e.
their perception of The Lord is fuzzy at best because there are details in view
that they are unable to make out due to their mind's mental cataracts, so to
speak.

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.
He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and
show myself to him." (John 14:21)
_

Webers.Home · Apr 3, 2022

.
• Heb 12:15a . . See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God

The Greek word translated "comes short" also means destitute; defined by
Webster's as lacking possessions and resources; especially suffering extreme
poverty.

I think it's pretty much a given that there are always going to be members
in every congregation that are spiritually destitute. The idea here is that
their spiritual destitution not be due to negligence.

In other words, the spiritual element in congregations should take it upon
themselves to make an effort to assist the non spiritual element to at least
know how to obtain the grace of God, i.e. congregations are responsible to
police themselves, so to speak, rather than leave this aspect of the Christian
way of life entirely up to church staffs.

The answer to Cain's question "Am I my brother's keeper?" was NO to his
way of thinking, but it's supposed to be YES to the spiritual Christian's way
of thinking.
_

Webers.Home · Apr 4, 2022

.
• Heb 12:15b . . See to it that no root of a bitter plant, sprouting up, causes
trouble, and by it many be defiled;

The Greek word for "defiled" means to taint, sully, and/or contaminate.

Seeing as how this epistle is addressed to Hebrews, then I think we're pretty
safe to assume that the "root of a bitter plant" likely refers to Deut 29:18-19
which reads thus:

"Make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.
When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on
himself and therefore thinks: I will be safe, even though I persist in going
my own way."

Why those kinds of people even bother coming to church is a bit of a
mystery seeing as how they have no intention whatsoever to either
exemplify and/or implement Christ's teachings. As far as they're concerned,
Jesus should mind his own business and stop trying to meddle in their
affairs. Such folk aren't harmless, no, they are quite pernicious.

Moses warned in the 29th chapter that toxic people can lead a country to
ruin. Well, the lesson here is obvious: bitter plants can lead a church to ruin;
and if allowed to become pervasive, will be difficult to eradicate.
_

Webers.Home · Apr 5, 2022

.
• Heb 12:16-17 . . See to it that there be no immoral or secular person like
Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even
afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he
found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

Webster's defines "secular" as not overtly or specifically religious, viz:
irreverent, which can be roughly defined as having little or no respect for
sacred things.

Esau is a good example of the limits of God's patience. Another example is
located at 1Cor 11:27-30

I think it's nigh unto impossible to fix all the secular people attending
churches, but at least they can be warned of the consequences so they don't
go around with the false assumption that God is flexible with their behavior.
Same goes for the immoral people.

A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong;
Gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
(Thomas Paine)

NOTE: In a nutshell; this and the previous message speak of culling
unacceptable livestock from the herd (so to speak) and ideally in a spirit of
regret rather than militancy.

When God came to the point where it was necessary to destroy much of the
human life that He brought into existence; He expressed regret for even
creating human life in the first place.

I would suggest following His example when complying with Heb 12:15-17.
In other words: do so with sympathy, with reluctance, and with regret;
rathre than like like a barracuda.
_

Webers.Home · Apr 6, 2022

.
• Heb 12:25-26 . . See that you do not refuse him who speaks. For if they
did not escape who refused him who spoke on Mt. Sinai, much more shall we
not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from Heaven, whose voice
then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying: Yet once more I
shake not only the earth, but also heaven.

"Him who spoke on Mt. Sinai" was an angel of the Lord rather than God in
person. (Acts 7:53) In point of fact, Jesus said that the Jews had neither
heard God's voice nor seen his shape. (John 5:37)

The voice of the angel of the Lord was audible; but the voice that shook the
mountain was inaudible-- it's quite possibly the self-same voice that did all
that work of creation beginning with Genesis 1:3.

In contrast Jesus wasn't an angel, nor did he speak for God as a run of the
mill holy man; rather, Jesus spoke as the embodied voice of God. (John 1:1
3, John 1:14 & Heb 1:1-2) and though we today only have Jesus' words in
print form, they are just as serious as his voice in human form because
Jesus' recorded words were spoken as God's voice rather than speaking for
God like the prophets once did.

"Yet once more" indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken,
as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may
remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be
shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with
reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:27-29)

The "kingdom that cannot be shaken" is very likely a reference to Dan 7:9-
-22.

It's not uncommon for people to ask: What is grace? Well; you're likely to
hear any number of definitions; but quite few of grace's aspects are touched
upon in the letter to Hebrews, e.g. concern for the welfare of others,
generosity, morals, marital fidelity, clean speech, maturity, gratitude, and a
sensible attitude towards wealth. Those aspects easily qualify as serving God
acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

What is reverence and godly fear? Well, a rough-hewn definition is: having a
high enough opinion of God's core values to adopt them for your own and
put them into practice. (Eph 5:1)
_

Webers.Home · Apr 7, 2022

.
• Heb 13:1 . . Let brotherly love continue.

The Greek word for "brotherly love" in that passage is philadelphia (fil-ad-el
fee'-ah) which refers to fraternal affection. Philadelphia is different than the
neighborly love required by Matt 19:19 and Matt 22:37-40.

The Greek word for "love" in those passages is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) which
doesn't necessarily contain the element of affection; rather, it's an
impersonal kind of love exemplified in behaviors like courtesy, kindness,
sympathy, civility, good will, deference, and consideration. In other words,
you don't have to be especially fond of your neighbor in order to comply with
Matt 19:19 and Matt 22:37-40. (cf. Matt 5:43-48)

Philadelphia love is difficult because it requires the involvement of one's
affections, viz: one's feelings rather than only their manners. A really good
example is located at John 16:27 where Jesus stated:

"The Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed
that I came from God."

For those of us who grew up deprived of love; that passage is nigh unto
impossible to believe that God is actually, and truly, fond of us in any way at
all.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God" (1John 3:1)

The manner of love that a normal father feels for his own children is far
more sensitive, than the love he might feel for his neighbor's children. A
normal father's love for his own children is down in his gut, viz: his
affections.

There's no fondness expressed in passages like John 3:16; which speaks of
benevolence but not necessarily fondness and affection. God cares for the
world, yes, but that doesn't mean that He likes the world. In point of fact,
God quite despises the world; it disgusts Him and He'd really like for the
world to give Him reason to improve His opinion.
_

Webers.Home · Apr 8, 2022

.
• Heb 13:2 . . Do not neglect to be hospitable with strangers; for by this
some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Artists generally depict angels as heavenly creatures with wings and/or
aglow with some sort of ethereal light. But the Greek word doesn't always
indicate celestial beings, rather, it refers to all manner of messengers, e.g.
prophets (Matt 11:10), delegates (Luke 7:24), fire (Heb 1:7), ecclesiastic
authorities (Rev 1:20-3:14), visions (Rev 22:16), and even acts of God like
fire, wind, smoke, voices, and earthquakes. (Acts 7:53)

Webster's defines "hospitable" as: given to generous and cordial reception of
guests, promising or suggesting generous and friendly welcome, offering a
pleasant or sustaining environment.

Inviting strangers into one's own home could easily result in the murder of
your entire family, along with the theft of your belongings. So, I'm thinking
Heb 13:2 is not saying that; rather, it's talking about congregational homes;
viz: churches.

I think it's very important to make non members-- visitors --feel at home in
your church: make them feel welcome to return. Not only is that the
neighborly thing to do, but you just never know if that next stranger through
the door was guided there by providence, and selected by God for a special
purpose.
_

Webers.Home · Apr 9, 2022

.
• Heb 13:3 . . Remember prisoners, as though in prison with them; and
those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

The prisoners mentioned are not just any jailbird in lock-up; but rather, it's
limited to those who are "in the body" viz: in Christ.

"We are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father
and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."
This is a profound mystery-- but I am talking about Christ and the church."
(Eph 5:30-32)

"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of
that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit
are we all baptized into one body." (1Cor 12:12-13)

The tenor of the command is, I think, restricted to Christians mistreated
and/or confined for their religious beliefs and practices rather than actual
crimes. There's a lot of that sort of thing going on today in Muslim countries.
America is well-known for its religious tolerance; other countries, not so
much.
_

Walking With Christ

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member