Author: BTP

“By faith Moses…refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:24-25).

This is an important verse for all of us, but especially for those who are younger. When we are young and in good health, the pleasures of this world can be a real attraction for us. Everything looks good, but the key phrase in our verse for today is “for a season.” There is definitely real pleasure in the things of this world, but those pleasures do not last. When we have enjoyed them for a while, we find that they do not satisfy us, but rather leave a sting that does not go away.

Why do those pleasures leave a sting? It is because they are the pleasures of sin. There is nothing wrong with enjoying nature, and all the wonderful creation that God has made, but even this has been spoiled by sin. However, all the pleasures of this world are designed to try to make you as happy as possible in a world spoiled by sin by leaving God out of the picture. But the Lord wants to give us what can really satisfy, and what will last. We will see that in our verse tomorrow.

“These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11).

 Several days ago, my wife and I were stopped at a traffic light and a young boy of about twelve walked across in front of us on the crosswalk. He slouched along, and on the back of his hoodie in large letters was this slogan, “Ain’t no feeling$ in the bank.” We weren’t too sure what the meaning of that was, but we guessed that it meant that the wearer was feeling so blank and empty inside, that he was telling the world, “Please don’t expect me to respond in any way to anyone.” Sadly, this is rather common today, but do we as Christians need to feel empty of feelings?

 Our verse today gives us every reason to be joyful inside. Imagine! Our Lord’s joy remains in us, that our joy might be full! Our joy may go up and down, but His joy “remains” in us if we know the Lord Jesus as Savior. It should shine out to others as we walk around each day. Yes, we too can feel a little “down” some days, but when we go out to meet this world, our joy in the Lord should shine out to all those we meet. We have everything to be happy about!

“It is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11).

“Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

We do not like to see blood, for it usually means that someone has been hurt, and perhaps hurt badly. However, when it comes to putting away our sins, God demands the shedding of blood. There is no other way that sin can be put away, and our verses for today prove that.

I once had a conversation with a woman who thought that if God was all powerful, He should be able to put sin away just by speaking the word. But God’s holy nature demands judgment for sin, and we know that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The shedding of blood is the clear sign of death, for our life is dependent on the flow of blood in our bodies. If that blood is shed, we die.

How wonderful it is to realize that the Lord Jesus died, and shed His blood, so that those who believe on Him do not have to suffer the penalty for their sins. Are your sins under the shelter of the blood of Christ?

“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus” (Hebrews 6:19-20).

In the days of sailing vessels, harbors were sometimes hard to enter except at high tide, so that the ship might have to wait for a few hours before going in. However, they would often put an anchor into a small boat called the forerunner, and that boat would carry that anchor right into the harbor. Then the ship could easily follow a few hours later.

For you and me, the Lord Jesus is our “Forerunner.” We are not safely at home in heaven yet, but Jesus has gone ahead, and is our anchor up there. His presence there is the absolute assurance that we will get there! There is no possibility that we can be lost!

“For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:13-14).

We have all seen babies drinking milk, probably from a bottle. But every parent would be upset if that baby grew bigger, and never wanted anything more than a bottle of milk. No, they expect their baby to want solid food, to have its teeth come in, and eventually to be able to chew things.

It is the same in spiritual things. When we are first saved, we are like babies, and we enjoy very simple things from the Word of God. But the Lord expects growth in our souls, and expects that as time goes on, we will be able to understand and enjoy the deeper things of God. We read in 1 Corinthians 2:10 that “the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” We should be ready and willing to allow the Spirit of God to teach us these deeper things of God. This takes effort, but God does not want us to be lazy Christians; He wants us to enjoy all that He has for us.

“Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).

Have you ever found it hard to obey someone who told you to do something you did not want to do? I have had this experience too, but it is very humbling to us to read that the Lord Jesus learned the cost of obedience too. Before He came into this world as a man, the Lord Jesus never had to obey, for as God He could act in His own right. But as a man, He learned the cost of obedience, and that obedience took Him all the way to Calvary’s cross. There He suffered the judgment of God for sin, so that you and I could be saved. Again, I say, it is humbling to recognize that the Lord Jesus had to obey, and suffer, in order that we might be saved. Let us remember to thank Him for it!

“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy…without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1).

“And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

As I write this in September 2024, I have just been discharged from the hospital after having had surgery. All went well, and I am very thankful. I am also very thankful that I was able to have the complicated procedure done, and my hospital stay, “without money,” as here in Canada our health care is without a direct charge to the patient. But because of the high demand on our health care system, the waiting lines are long for anything that is not an emergency.

But here in our verses, the Lord is giving freely. He just says, “Take”! No lines, no waiting. If you wish His forgiveness, it is immediate.

You might wonder why the Bible uses the word “buy” in this verse, if God is giving new life to us freely. I believe that God wants us to remember that while He gives freely, what He gives is not cheap. It cost the Lord Jesus untold suffering on the cross in order to be able to offer you and me salvation as a free gift. Let us never forget this.

“Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands. They shall perish; but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture [piece of clothing] shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed” (Hebrews 1:10-12).

Have you ever made something, used it for a while, and then gotten rid of it because you did not need it anymore? That is what happened to the high school that I attended. It was built in 1927, but then in 1997 they decided that it was old and out of date. They tore it down and built a new school.

That is what God is going to do with this earth. He created it for man to live on, and so that He could work out His purposes concerning His Son. But then, when He is finished with it, He is going to burn it up, and create new heavens and a new earth. Satan will never be allowed to spoil that new earth; sin will never enter it, and it will last forever.

We can marvel at this beautiful universe, but it has been spoiled by sin, and at the end of the millennium, God will burn it up. But the Lord Jesus Himself will always be there; He will always be the same. What a wonderful truth that is!

“His Son…who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:2-3).

When the Lord Jesus came into this world, He perfectly represented God the Father. Because the Lord Jesus became a man, He perfectly displayed to us in this world what God the Father was. But all the time, He was upholding all things by the word of His power. What does this mean?

It means that He keeps the whole universe in perfect order. He keeps meteorites from hitting the earth and causing serious damage. He keeps the earth in its perfect orbit around the sun. He keeps your heart and mine beating in a right rhythm.

There is a small node in your heart called the sinoatrial node, and it is the “pacemaker” of the heart. It sends out impulses constantly to make your heart beat properly. When I was in medical school, I asked one of my professors what made that little node beat constantly like that. He replied, “God does, if you believe in Him.” The professor was right, for the Lord Jesus is God, and He keeps everything going properly in this whole universe. Even with all the discoveries man has made today, he still must realize that ultimately, everything depends only on God.

“God…hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

“According as He [God the Father] hath chosen us in Him [the Lord Jesus Christ] before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).

God has purposed to do two things, and both of them were decided before the world was made. First of all, God has in His purposes to make His Son, the Lord Jesus, heir of all things. The Lord Jesus is going to receive an inheritance, and that inheritance will include all created things. But before He can take that inheritance, it has to be cleansed of all the effects of sin. That is part of the reason that the Lord Jesus suffered on Calvary’s cross—to make His inheritance fit for Him.

But more than this, God wants you and me, as Christians, to share that inheritance with His Son. You may remember that we had this second verse back in April, reminding us that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Before that inheritance existed, God chose us to share it with His Son. It is beyond our understanding, but it is true.

There is no need for us to spend time and energy trying to get more possessions in this world, for we are going to own it all with Christ when He takes His inheritance.