Hebrews 11-13

Note compiled from my BSF group


Hebrews 11:1-3


Many people think faith is “just believing”. From Hebrews 11:1, we can see that it isn’t.


“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrew 11:1).


The author used strong words such as “being sure of” and “certain”, telling us that faith really isn’t “just believing”! It is being certain, without a doubt, of what we hope for.


I believe the thing that we hope for here isn’t just some random want or need. It isn’t a “Oh, I hope I can get a new car” or “I hope I won’t get sick as I get old” kind of hope. The hope, I believe, is talking about the fully actualization of God’s promise.


Throughout the entire Bible, from the Old Testament and through the New Testament, we hear of God’s promise that culminates at the thousand year of PEACEFUL reign under our King of kings, Jesus Christ. This period of time is glorious and grand, where God’s people would know no sorrow and bear heart of love. No more contention, no more bickering, no more hatred. This is the Hope that God’s people are waiting for. Hence, for God’s people, faith is not “just believing”. It is KNOWING that God’s promise will one day be realized. And we have this faith, we have this confidence, because throughout time God has proven to be loving, just, and faithful to His Word. And so, even though we cannot see Him, we cannot see this promise, John, Jesus’ most beloved disciple DID see this and has documented throughout his writings, especially in the Book of Revelation.


Hence, the Christian faith is KNOWING what is yet to come, EXPECTING what is yet to come, BEFORE it has come.


Nietzsche defined faith as "not wanting to know what is true". I disagree. I think "not wanting to know what is true" is the definition of superstition. The Christian faith is not based on "not wanting to know what is true." Rather, our faith is based on eagerness to search out the matter, to discover the truth and thus having confidence in our faith of what we do not see. SEEK THE TRUTH.




Hebrews 11:4-16


1) Abel: By faith, he brought offering that pleased God.


2) Enoch: By faith, he was able to please God, and God took him away so that he did not experience death.


3) Noah: By faith, he understood God’s warning about things not yet seen and built an ark to save his family, thereby condemning the world and becoming heir of righteousness.


4) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: By faith, they made home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country. They obeyed and went, even though they did not know where they were going. But because they KNEW God was guiding them, their faith alone in God was enough to comfort them in the face of all the unknowns.


5) Sarah: By faith, she was able to bear children despite being past childbearing age. Sarah was at least 90 years old! And thus, through Abraham and Sarah, God kept His promise: the birth of Isaac was the beginning of the great Israelite nation.




The “heroes” listed above were said to be still living by faith when they died. “They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance” (Hebrews 11:13).


The amount of faith they have is simply amazing, because they lived through such harsh times. They were on foreign land, among hostile people. They feared for their lives on a daily basis, and yet, they still picked up their things and moved as God instructed them to, even though they had no idea whether they were being brought into more danger. 


Why?


Because God promised them a better world, a world governed by Jesus. They could have returned to their own land any time they wished, but they didn’t because “they were longing for a better country—a HEAVENLY one” (Hebrews 11:15).


And when they died, they died without receiving the things they were promised! They saw the promise in the distance and welcomed them, and that was it.


What?


The key is, God’s plan isn’t over and done within a decade or a generation. God’s plan is on the order of THOUSANDS of years. Christians know the complete fulfillment of God’s promise is yet to come. Things prophesied in the past have been fulfilled and will continue to be fulfilled. In their days, many prophesies have yet to be fulfilled. In our days, many prophesies have been fulfilled. We are nearing the end of days, and Jesus’ thousand-year reign is rapidly approaching. This is the promise ALL Christians are waiting for.


If the Christians of the Old Testament can persevere through arduous hardship with a keen focus on God’s promise hundreds of years ago, how can we not be inspired to persevere as well, especially when we are even closer to the end? These heroes showed us what it means to desire God as opposed to being ruled by the desires of this world. No mansion, no amount of riches, no amount of power of this world can compete with God’s glory and what He has prepared for us in Heaven.


Let us never lose sight of that and fight the inequities of this world with our solid faith in our God.




Hebrews 11:17–40


Abraham
He offered up his only begotten son, Isaac. This is an event that many people ponder about the love of God, and the love of Abraham, for what kind of a father would kill his son?


Well, first, realize that Isaac wasn’t exactly an 8 year-old boy; he was a grown man (at least 30 years old) who CHOSE to be sacrificed.


Next, we should avoid falling into the trap of limiting God’s ability just because we can’t do it. By this, I mean, just because we cannot do the supernatural, that doesn’t mean God can’t either!


“Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead” (Hebrews 11:19), and so, even though he was devastated that he was going to sacrifice his son, but because he also had FAITH that God would keep His promise that Isaac would be the father of nations, he followed God’s guidance despite not fully understanding what was going on at the time. All he knew was, God will make Isaac into father of many nations. If God was going to sacrifice Isaac, then God must be able to bring him back from death to fulfill His promise!


Abraham may not have known how God was going to do it, but he didn’t need to. He just needed to trust that God’s Will will be done.


Isaac
He blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.


Jacob
He blessed both the sons of Joseph and worshiped leaning upon the top of his staff.


Joseph
He made mention of the departing of the children of Israel and gave commandment concerning his bones.


Moses
He refused to abandon his people and lived in danger when he could have easily chosen to live a luxurious life as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He was called by God, and he ultimately placed his faith in God, and allowed God to work through him. He left Egypt with no fear for the Pharaoh’s anger because he knew God is the King of kings. He also kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the firstborn of Israel would be passed over and be saved from death.


“He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time” (Hebrews 11:25).


On the side, this is something we should all be inspired to do. We need to realize that any pleasure we experience outside of God is only temporary, for such pleasures are of this world.


Why give up eternal glory with God for a brief moment of pleasure?


“He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward” (Hebrews 11:26).




Joshua 2
Hebrews 11:31


The story of Rahab tells us that it is never too late to repent.


It doesn’t matter what we have done in the past, as long as we repent and follow God, we can all start over in the body of Christ.


That is the essence of being a born-again Christian. It is not the physical age that matters. It is our spiritual age.


When we realize we are sinners and reach out to God, we are transformed at that moment. Our spirit would receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who would cleanse our spirit and give rise to the birth of our new spirit.


This was what happened to Rahab. She may have been a prostitute who did not have high moral or ethical values, but when she learned of God’s Way, she immediately accepted God and asked for forgiveness. And thus, in a city that was so corrupted that God deemed it needed to be destroyed, God allowed Rahab to be saved because her faith in God saved her.


It is never too late to repent, and it doesn’t matter how immoral or unethical our past actions were.


Our God is a loving God and a forgiving God. When we truly repent with our heart and reach out to God for help, God forgives, and God saves.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Joshua 2:1-24 Rahab became a convert of the God of Israel and a famous woman among the Hebrews. She is honored in the NT for her faith (Heb 11:31) and good works (Jas 2:25).


* Joshua 2:8-11 Rahab's confession. Rahab's abandonment of Canaan and its gods to side with the Lord and Israel.


http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews11c
Then the people reach Canaan: By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient (vv. 30-31). Surprise! The heroes in Israelite history include a non-Israelite woman. She was saved by faith, in contrast to people who disobeyed (disobeyed God, that is, rather than the king of Jericho).


http://www.gci.org/bible/hist/joshua2


THE FAITH OF RAHAB


Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho, decided to protect the Israelite spies because she recognized the God of Israel as the true God. The Scriptures commend her faith: "By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient" (Hebrews 11:31).


Rahab's faith was well founded (Joshua 2:8-11) and brought her great honor. Through her son Boaz, she became an ancestor of David and of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5-6, 16).


The example of Rahab illustrates how God often uses people with simple faith to accomplish his will. It does not matter to God what kind of past they may have had. "Many would assume that Rahab — a pagan, a Canaanite, and a prostitute — would never be interested in God. Yet Rahab was willing to risk everything she had for a God she barely knew. We must not gauge a person's interest in God by his or her background, life-style, or appearance" (Life Application Bible, NIV, commentary on Joshua 2:8-13).




Hebrews 12:1-3


We are encouraged to reject sin, run with perseverance, and keep our eyes on Jesus.




Hebrews 12:4-11


1) We know we are loved by God and accepted as His children (Hebrews 12:6).


2) God disciplines us for our good so that we may hare in God's holiness (Hebrews 12:10).


3) God's discipline produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11).




Hebrews 12:12-17


As Christians, we should...


1) Keep running toward the goal, even though it's hard (Hebrews 12:12).


2) Call for upright conduct that will help, rather than hinder, the spiritual and moral welfare of others, especially the "lame" who waver in the Christian faith (Hebrews 12:13).


3) Not seek persecution: make every effort to live in peace with everyone (Hebrews 12:14).


4) Trust in Jesus to make us holy: be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).


5) Not turn away from God: See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many (Hebrews 12:15).


6) Not be like Esau: Do not give up eternal life with Christ for a little convenience in this world (Hebrews 12:16-17).


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Hebrews 12:13 Make level paths. A call for upright conduct that will help, rather than hinder, the spiritual and moral welfare of others, especially the "lame" who waver in the Christian faith.


* Hebrews 12:14-17 Exhortation to holy living (See 4:1; 6:4-8; Gal 5:4 and note).


* Hebrews 12:15 misses the grace of God. "Falls short of" or "fails to lay hold of" God's grace (see 6:4-8 and notes). bitter root. Pride, animosity, rivalry or anything else harmful to others.


* Hebrews 12:16 godless like Esau. See Ge 25:29-34. He had no appreciation for true values (cf. Php 3:19). He "despised his birthright" (Ge 25:34) by valuing food for his stomach more highly than his birthright.


* Hebrews 12:17 he was rejected. Because he only regretted his loss, and did not repent of his sin (Ge 27). His sorrow was not "godly sorrow" that "brings repentance that leads to salvation," But "worldly sorrow" that "brings death" (2Co 7:10). could bring about no change of mind. Of the firstborn. The readers may have contemplated compromising their faith in order to gain relief from persecution. But to trade their spiritual birthright for temporary ease in this world would deprive them of Christ's blessing. with tears. Not tears of repentance. See Ge 27:34-38.


http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews12a
Therefore, since discipline has good results in our lives, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet,’ so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed" (vv. 12-13, quoting Prov. 4:26). Don’t let the problems cause you to drop out of the race. Run straight toward the goal, even though it’s hard.


Don’t be like Esau


The author now shifts gears and makes a general exhortation: Make every effort to live in peace with everyone — don’t seek persecution — and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord (v. 14). Since Jesus makes us holy by his death (10:10, 14), we need to trust in him for the status we need to see God.


But there is a danger: See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many(v. 15). How might people fall short of God’s grace? The "bitter root" probably refers to Deut. 29:18, which describes someone who turns away from God. If we turn away from Christ, we will not receive his benefits.
See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done (vv. 16-17).


Esau is an example to avoid: He gave up a long-term blessing for a short-term benefit. This is the choice the readers were facing, too: Would they give up eternal life with Christ for a little convenience in this world? If you do this, the author says, the time will come when the penalty will be irreversible. Esau repented in one sense — he decided he wanted the blessing — but it was too late, because it was part of the inheritance he had already sold.


Do not sell out the faith, the author says. Stand firm, and be faithful — and we do that by fixing our eyes on Jesus.




Hebrews 12:18-24
Contrasting the old covenant (Mt. Sinai) with the new covenant (Mt. Zion)...


For me, the most fearsome aspect of the old covenant is that the forgiveness of sin was not permanent, and we’re always in debt, never good enough to be in the presence of the Lord.


For me, the most glorious aspect of the new covenant is that through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are washed clean forever. We are inherently still not good enough, but we are made good enough because Jesus resides within us, so that when God looks at us, He sees His perfect Son. Because of Jesus, we can now be in the presence of God forever.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Hebrews 12:18-21 These verses recall the awesome occasion when the law was given at Mount Sinai (see Ex 19:10-23 in vv. 18-24).


* Hebrews 12:22 Mount Zion. Not the literal Mount Zion (Jerusalem, or its southeast portion), but the heavenly city of God and those who dwell there with him (see 11:10, 13-16; 13:14; Php 3:20). The circumstances under which the old covenant was given (vv. 18-21) and the features of the new covenant (vv. 22-24) point up the utter contrast between the two covenants, and lay the foundation for one more warning and exhortation to those still thinking of going back to Judaism.


* Hebrews 12:24 better word than the blood of Abel. Abel's blood cried out for justice and retribution (see Ge 4:10 and note), whereas the blood of Jesus shed on the cross speaks of forgiveness and reconciliation (see 9:12 and note; 10:19; Col 1:20; 1Jn 1:7).


http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews12b
A Mountain of Joy: A Study of Hebrews 12:18 to 13:6
After exhorting readers to continue in the Christian faith, Hebrews gives further encouragement by painting a picture of the choice set before them. On one side is fear and death, but the readers have chosen a life of joy with Christ.


The mountain of fear


You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear" (Heb. 12:18-21, referring to Ex. 19:13).


The mountain does not need to be named, for the readers know it well: Mount Sinai, where the old covenant was made with Israel. The mountain stands for the old covenant — a covenant they once participated in, but a covenant they have left behind in order to embrace a life with Christ.


If we read between the lines, we see that the readers were being pressured by neighbors to return to the old covenant. The author, by describing the results of the choice they have made, is encouraging them to remain faithful to Jesus. Don’t look back, he says. That is a covenant of gloom and doom. It has condemnation, not salvation.


Moses did not fear for his own life — he said, "I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you" (Deut. 9:19). Moses knew that the people had rebelled against God and deserved to die. He asked God to spare them, and God did, but his fear shows the serious penalties involved in breaking the Sinai covenant.


A joyful assembly


In contrast, the new covenant is a place of joy and fellowship with God: But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Heb. 12:22-24).
The new covenant is a place with happy people, where angels rejoice. This is the reward of the saved, those who are the firstborn children of God, who have been welcomed by the Judge of the universe. They were not perfect, but they have been made perfect by the blood of Christ, which promises forgiveness rather than vengeance.


The readers have not come to this place yet, but the author describes it as if they have. When they accepted Jesus as the Messiah, this joyful place became their new destination, and the author wants to make sure that they do not turn aside.




Hebrews 12:25
The author warned that if the readers did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, then how much less will we, if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven?


We should thus NOT refuse Him who speaks. We should NOT refuse God.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Hebrews 12:25-29 The fifth warning (see note on 2:1-4).


* Hebrews 12:25 him who speaks. God. warned them on earth. At Sinai. him who warns us from heaven. Christ, who is both from and in heaven (1:1-3; 4:14; 6:20; 7:26; 9:24). Since we have greater revelation, we have greater responsibility and therefore greater danger (see 2:2-3 and notes).


http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews12b
See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? (v. 25). The readers probably had Jewish neighbors who said, "If you turn away from the old covenant, you will be punished." And so the author responds with threats of his own: "It is true that people were punished for turning away from Moses, but now, we will be punished if we turn away from what he is saying in Jesus Christ."


As Jesus prophesied, there are a lot more false teachers in the world, who do not preach the Biblical Jesus and blasphemes against God (Matthew 24).


As I have mentioned before, the scariest thing about Satan isn’t the demonic things that he does. Those things are scary, most certainly, but because they are scary, they naturally drive most people away. Hence, the scariest thing that he does is what he does best: DECEPTION. He puts anti-Christ messages out there that seem so benign, people think, “What’s the harm?” or “Why not?” His benign-seeming deception slowly leads people off the path of God’s Way. These people may not necessarily be doing “bad” things (for example, there are plenty of nice Mormans and nice Jehovah’s Witnesses around), but because they do not know the Biblical Jesus, they are not walking God’s Way!


A lot of people get caught up with the idea of “He is such a nice person. How would God send him to Hell?”


Well, we need to realize that God doesn’t send people to Hell. WE CHOOSE TO GO TO HELL WHEN WE REJECT GOD.


Jesus also prophesied that nearing the end of days, the Gospel will be preached throughout the world (Matthew 24). 


Why?


Because God wants to save as many of His beloved children as He can! And the ONLY way He can save us is if we CHOOSE to receive salvation!


But we can’t naively think it’s all that easy.


Satan is the king of this world. He is after the throne, and he wants to be worshiped by all.


And so, while God is spreading the Good News, Satan is doing his best to confuse the Message. And we have to be honest: Satan’s doing a darn good job. Many people remain blinded to God’s Word, and many people are confused about why ONLY God? Why not the Buddha? Why not Allah? Why not… all these other gods? WHY ONLY GOD?


The answer is simple, really. Anyone who does not recognize Jesus as the Christ is the antichrist; anyone who preaches a savior other than the Biblical Christ is the antichrist (1 John 2:18-27).


Revelation tells us that THE Anti-Christ is of Satan. So, looking at all these other religions, is it not clear that they are invented as a method of deception, a method of confusion? And is not Satan doing a great job? Does he not have the world worshiping anything but God? Money, power, false gods—Humans are found to worship so many things but the one true God!


The path of Christ is narrow. It is narrow because ONLY THROUGH JESUS, do we have true salvation. Any other way, and it’s but a moment of pleasure. Anything of this world is but a moment’s pleasure! Forget not that Satan is the current king of this world! He will do whatever he can to make sure we worship him and not Jesus! So, folks, let’s open our eyes to the spiritual warfare that’s going on here between God and Satan. It’s not just about being nice.


WHO CARES?!


God is trying to save while Satan is trying to condemn.


It’s been about that since Adam and Eve were deceived by Satan! Don’t keep repeating the mistake of Adam and Eve. Jesus has died on the cross for us to fix Adam’s fall. Why would we continue to follow Adam, who leads to eternal death? We should follow Christ, who leads to eternal life!
It’s never been about “being nice”. That’s just another one of Satan’s many methods of deception. People who think it’s just about being nice are DECEIVED! And the scary thing is, they are BLINDED to their deception! Let us open our eyes and see God. Let us have the ears to hear God’s Word. Let us open our heart and be transformed. It’s about following Jesus or following Satan. It’s as simple as that. Don't complicate that bottom line with deceptive details, because that would mean Satan has won that battle with us.


The path of Christ is narrow, but Christ invites all to receive salvation.




Because of God, we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We should be thankful and worship God with reverence and awe. Satan fell because of his pride. Adam and Eve fell because of their pride. It can't be more obvious that pride is the root of all sins. Furthermore, pride doesn't stand a chance against God. Anyone who thinks otherwise is in for a surprise.


http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews12b


The unshakable kingdom


The author makes a smooth transition from this warning into a reminder of the reward God has promised: At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words ‘once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken — that is, created things — so that what cannot be shaken may remain (vv. 26-27, quoting Haggai 2:6).


At Mount Sinai, God’s voice shook the earth, but he has also promised to shake the earth again, and the author of Hebrews focuses our attention on the word once. He will do it only once — never again will the heavens and earth need to be shaken, because the shaking will be so severe that only the permanent will remain.


Haggai 2:7 promises that God "will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty."


The eternal kingdom will come, so how should we respond? Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire" (vv. 28-29, quoting Deut. 4:24).


Since God has promised us a great reward, we should be thankful and worship him — and as the letter makes plain, we must come to him through Jesus. But the threat still exists for those who turn away, for God is still a consuming fire to those who refuse him. God will consume everyone who disobeys, so we all need the intercession that Jesus offers in the new covenant.




Hebrews 13


The exhortations teach us that we should...


1) Be loving (Hebrews 13:1-3)


2) Show hospitality to strangers


3) Continue to remember those in prison as if we were together with them in prison


4) Continue to remember those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering


5) Be pure (Hebrews 13:4)


6) Do not commit adultery or sexual immorality


7) Be content (Hebrews 13:5-6)


8) Keep your lives free from the love of money


9) Say with confidence: "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"


10) Be loyal (Hebrews 13:7-12)


11) Remember our leaders, who spoke the word of God to us. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate
their faith


12) Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings


13) Be bold (Hebrews 13:13-14): Go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.


14) Be worshipful (Hebrews 15-16)


15) Through Jesus, continually offer God a sacrifice of praise.


16) Do not forget to do good and to share with others


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Hebrews 13:13 go to him outside the camp. Calls for separation from Judaism to Christ. As he died in disgrace outside the city, so the readers should be willing to be disgraced by turning unequivocally from Judaism to Christ.


http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews12b


Concluding exhortations


In chapter 13, the writing style changes abruptly, and the author gives some short reminders: Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it (13:1-2).
The chance of entertaining angels is incredibly small, but the author is reminding the readers to do something that they already know they should.


He gets more serious in verse 3:Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.


Some members of the congregation were in jail, and the author encourages the readers to continue to visit them. Ancient prisons did not give prisoners any food, so visits from friends were essential, even though the officers might suspect that the visitors had the same illegal beliefs. Why should we risk our safety to visit prisoners? Because we might be in prison tomorrow, and we will need people to visit us.


Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral(v. 4). The author does not emphasize this point, and it was probably not a problem for the readers. This ethical exhortation was common advice among Jews.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (v. 5, quoting Deut. 31:6).
Although enemies may steal our possessions (see 10:34), we can be content with the greatest treasure of all: a promise of life eternal with God.


"So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’ " (Heb. 13:6, quoting Psalm 118:6-7). What can people do to us when we have faith in Christ?


As the author has already noted, they can ridicule us, take our possessions, put us in jail, even kill us. But they can never take away the reward that God will give us. We can be confident because he gives us an eternal perspective on the things of this world.




Hebrews 13:17


Leaders keep watch over us as those who must give an account (i.e., church leaders). This is why leaders of the flock shoulder a heavy responsibility. If they lead to deceive, they will have to respond to God's judgment.


As a member of the flock, we should thus pray for our leaders, that they may always be guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit, that they have a clear conscience and the desire to live honorably in every way.