O. Addison Gethers e-mail address [email protected] [email protected]
twitter URL http//:twitter.com/OAddisonGethers Messenger contact window live/msn messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS rs ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> To: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 12:15 AM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Wednesday December 16 > Day 350 > > Hebrews 7 > Melchizedek, Priest of God > 1-3Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of the Highest God. He met > Abraham, who was returning > from "the royal massacre," and gave him his blessing. Abraham in turn gave > him a tenth of the > spoils. "Melchizedek" means "King of Righteousness." "Salem" means > "Peace." So, he is also "King of > Peace." Melchizedek towers out of the past-without record of family ties, > no account of beginning or > end. In this way he is like the Son of God, one huge priestly presence > dominating the landscape > always. > 4-7You realize just how great Melchizedek is when you see that Father > Abraham gave him a tenth of > the captured treasure. Priests descended from Levi are commanded by law to > collect tithes from the > people, even though they are all more or less equals, priests and people, > having a common father in > Abraham. But this man, a complete outsider, collected tithes from Abraham > and blessed him, the one > to whom the promises had been given. In acts of blessing, the lesser is > blessed by the greater. > > 8-10Or look at it this way: We pay our tithes to priests who die, but > Abraham paid tithes to a > priest who, the Scripture says, "lives." Ultimately you could even say > that since Levi descended > from Abraham, who paid tithes to Melchizedek, when we pay tithes to the > priestly tribe of Levi they > end up with Melchizedek. > > A Permanent Priesthood > 11-14If the priesthood of Levi and Aaron, which provided the framework for > the giving of the law, > could really make people perfect, there wouldn't have been need for a new > priesthood like that of > Melchizedek. But since it didn't get the job done, there was a change of > priesthood, which brought > with it a radical new kind of law. There is no way of understanding this > in terms of the old > Levitical priesthood, which is why there is nothing in Jesus' family tree > connecting him with that > priestly line. > 15-19But the Melchizedek story provides a perfect analogy: Jesus, a priest > like Melchizedek, not by > genealogical descent but by the sheer force of resurrection life-he > lives!-"priest forever in the > royal order of Melchizedek." The former way of doing things, a system of > commandments that never > worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside; the law brought > nothing to maturity. Another > way-Jesus!-a way that does work, that brings us right into the presence of > God, is put in its place. > > 20-22The old priesthood of Aaron perpetuated itself automatically, father > to son, without explicit > confirmation by God. But then God intervened and called this new, > permanent priesthood into being > with an added promise: > > God gave his word; > he won't take it back: > "You're the permanent priest." > This makes Jesus the guarantee of a far better way between us and God-one > that really works! A new > covenant. > > 23-25Earlier there were a lot of priests, for they died and had to be > replaced. But Jesus' > priesthood is permanent. He's there from now to eternity to save everyone > who comes to God through > him, always on the job to speak up for them. > > 26-28So now we have a high priest who perfectly fits our needs: completely > holy, uncompromised by > sin, with authority extending as high as God's presence in heaven itself. > Unlike the other high > priests, he doesn't have to offer sacrifices for his own sins every day > before he can get around to > us and our sins. He's done it, once and for all: offered up himself as the > sacrifice. The law > appoints as high priests men who are never able to get the job done right. > But this intervening > command of God, which came later, appoints the Son, who is absolutely, > eternally perfect. > > Hebrews 8 > A New Plan with Israel > 1-2In essence, we have just such a high priest: authoritative right > alongside God, conducting > worship in the one true sanctuary built by God. 3-5The assigned task of a > high priest is to offer > both gifts and sacrifices, and it's no different with the priesthood of > Jesus. If he were limited to > earth, he wouldn't even be a priest. We wouldn't need him since there are > plenty of priests who > offer the gifts designated in the law. These priests provide only a hint > of what goes on in the true > sanctuary of heaven, which Moses caught a glimpse of as he was about to > set up the tent-shrine. It > was then that God said, "Be careful to do it exactly as you saw it on the > Mountain." > 6-13But Jesus' priestly work far surpasses what these other priests do, > since he's working from a > far better plan. If the first plan-the old covenant-had worked out, a > second wouldn't have been > needed. But we know the first was found wanting, because God said, > > Heads up! The days are coming > when I'll set up a new plan > for dealing with Israel and Judah. > I'll throw out the old plan > I set up with their ancestors > when I led them by the hand out of Egypt. > They didn't keep their part of the bargain, > so I looked away and let it go. > This new plan I'm making with Israel > isn't going to be written on paper, > isn't going to be chiseled in stone; > This time I'm writing out the plan in them, > carving it on the lining of their hearts. > I'll be their God, > they'll be my people. > They won't go to school to learn about me, > or buy a book called God in Five Easy Lessons. > They'll all get to know me firsthand, > the little and the big, the small and the great. > They'll get to know me by being kindly forgiven, > with the slate of their sins forever wiped clean. > By coming up with a new plan, a new covenant between God and his people, > God put the old plan on the > shelf. And there it stays, gathering dust. > > Hebrews 9 > A Visible Parable > 1-5That first plan contained directions for worship, and a specially > designed place of worship. A > large outer tent was set up. The lampstand, the table, and "the bread of > presence" were placed in > it. This was called "the Holy Place." Then a curtain was stretched, and > behind it a smaller, inside > tent set up. This was called "the Holy of Holies." In it were placed the > gold incense altar and the > gold-covered ark of the covenant containing the gold urn of manna, Aaron's > rod that budded, the > covenant tablets, and the angel-wing-shadowed mercy seat. But we don't > have time to comment on these > now. > 6-10After this was set up, the priests went about their duties in the > large tent. Only the high > priest entered the smaller, inside tent, and then only once a year, > offering a blood sacrifice for > his own sins and the people's accumulated sins. This was the Holy Spirit's > way of showing with a > visible parable that as long as the large tent stands, people can't just > walk in on God. Under this > system, the gifts and sacrifices can't really get to the heart of the > matter, can't assuage the > conscience of the people, but are limited to matters of ritual and > behavior. It's essentially a > temporary arrangement until a complete overhaul could be made. > > Pointing to the Realities of Heaven > 11-15But when the Messiah arrived, high priest of the superior things of > this new covenant, he > bypassed the old tent and its trappings in this created world and went > straight into heaven's > "tent"-the true Holy Place-once and for all. He also bypassed the > sacrifices consisting of goat and > calf blood, instead using his own blood as the price to set us free once > and for all. If that animal > blood and the other rituals of purification were effective in cleaning up > certain matters of our > religion and behavior, think how much more the blood of Christ cleans up > our whole lives, inside and > out. Through the Spirit, Christ offered himself as an unblemished > sacrifice, freeing us from all > those dead-end efforts to make ourselves respectable, so that we can live > all out for God. > 16-17Like a will that takes effect when someone dies, the new covenant was > put into action at > Jesus' death. His death marked the transition from the old plan to the new > one, canceling the old > obligations and accompanying sins, and summoning the heirs to receive the > eternal inheritance that > was promised them. He brought together God and his people in this new way. > > 18-22Even the first plan required a death to set it in motion. After Moses > had read out all the > terms of the plan of the law-God's "will"-he took the blood of sacrificed > animals and, in a solemn > ritual, sprinkled the document and the people who were its beneficiaries. > And then he attested its > validity with the words, "This is the blood of the covenant commanded by > God." He did the same thing > with the place of worship and its furniture. Moses said to the people, > "This is the blood of the > covenant God has established with you." Practically everything in a will > hinges on a death. That's > why blood, the evidence of death, is used so much in our tradition, > especially regarding forgiveness > of sins. > > 23-26That accounts for the prominence of blood and death in all these > secondary practices that > point to the realities of heaven. It also accounts for why, when the real > thing takes place, these > animal sacrifices aren't needed anymore, having served their purpose. For > Christ didn't enter the > earthly version of the Holy Place; he entered the Place Itself, and > offered himself to God as the > sacrifice for our sins. He doesn't do this every year as the high priests > did under the old plan > with blood that was not their own; if that had been the case, he would > have to sacrifice himself > repeatedly throughout the course of history. But instead he sacrificed > himself once and for all, > summing up all the other sacrifices in this sacrifice of himself, the > final solution of sin. > > 27-28Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ's death > was also a one-time > event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when > he next appears, the > outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation. > > > > > > > > ~~~~~ > Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning > Skype Prayer Time. > Also, follow my tweets on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/Donnie1261 > > > Contact Me At: > Donnie Parrett > 1956 Asa Flat Road > Annville, Kentucky 40402 > Home Phone: 606-364-3321 > Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY > Skype Name: Donnie1261 > Email: [email protected] > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/dbilg?hl=en.
