Sunday School Lesson for August 22, 2021 - A Conquering Faith: Printed Text: 1 John 4:2-3,13-17; 1 John 5:4-5 NKJV; Background Scripture: 1 John 4-5 NKJV; Devotional Reading: John 14:15-24 NKJV

 

Key Verse:

1 John 4:16b AMP

16b God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him.

There is a bit of God in all of us, isn’t there? And if God is love, then we are intended for love and to love. Let us proceed...

Where to begin?

1 John 1:4

4 And these things we write to you that [a]your joy may be full.

Contrary to last week’s lesson, where the problem was with Hebraic Christians facing challenges from the Hebrew Community to return to Temple worship (see Hebrews 10), this week’s focus is on a relatively new group of Gentile believers who face opposition from the very diverse ethnos surrounding them. In this community, the challenge is to stay true to their confession of Christ as having come in the flesh (fully man), the Son of God (fully God) who came that we might share in eternal life through His shed Blood.

The confusion surrounding the identity of Christ came about because of the rise of Gnosticism, a belief that (simplified) the spiritual was good, the temporal was evil, therefore Christ could not have come in the flesh, but only as a ‘spirit’. This erroneous belief called into question the very necessity of the cross and Christ’s sacrifice. The challenge then was to hold to the teaching of the Apostles and to the Word of God, which at that time existed in the form of the Old Testament, and all of the New Testament writings except the letters of John and the Book of Revelation. Since most of these believers had not seen Christ in the flesh, nor had extensive knowledge of the ancient worship system of the Hebrews, like us, they would have had to take what they heard by faith and then hold onto that teaching by faith. How similar were their challenges to ours today?

The Lesson

1 John 4:2 NKJV

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

In this, his first letter, John is encouraging his readers to hold fast to what they have been taught. Primarily that, yes, Jesus was actually born of a virgin, had lived in Israel as a man, and was killed at Calvary for our sakes. Simple, life-changing truths whereby they had come to salvation. Those simple facts remained simple. They did not (and do not) require any philosophical embellishment or application of reason that would allow the hearer to compartmentalize the Gospel message into a place of intellect, rather than a place in one’s heart. The message given by the Spirit of God was that Jesus had come in the flesh.

1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV

16 And without controversy great is the [i]mystery of godliness:

God[j] was manifested in the flesh,

Justified in the Spirit,

Seen by angels,

Preached among the Gentiles,

Believed on in the world,

Received up in glory.

_____________________________________________________________

1 John 4:3 NKJV

3 and every spirit that does not confess [a]that Jesus [b]Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world.

Just as simply, for the sake of completing the parameters of this very simple ‘litmus’ test, John states that those who do not confess that Christ has come in the flesh are not of God. Period. Full Stop. There is no need to broach the subject of Antichrist, except to note that John makes it clear that the spiritual impetus behind any denial that Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.

Interlude

1 John 4:12

12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 

Though this verse is not part of the printed text of the lesson, I include it because it informs us of several things. First, John identifies with his readers by informing them that He, as maybe the last alive of the twelve original disciples of Christ, had seen Christ (1 John 1:1), and was a witness to the miracles Christ performed and to His crucifixion and His resurrection, he (John) had not ever seen God. No man has. However, he (John) goes on to tell his readers (and us) that the evidence that God exists and that He makes His abode in the believer is the love that they (and we) have for one another. Another very simple test. Additionally and importantly, John adds that by this, God has perfected His love in us (past tense)! 

For a young body of believers, this is critical because, on every hand, their confidence in God, whom they have not seen is being challenged. To be told that God started the work, that He is doing the work and that yes, He has perfected the work of salvation within them brings peace that surpasses all understanding. They can walk in peace when they understand that God initiated salvation within them, it was not by their own force of will. Subsequently, it is not by their own force of will that they will remain ‘saved’, nor will it be by their own willpower that they will be caught up to Heaven on that great and Glorious Day of the Lord’s return. It’s all God.

Zechariah 4:6 NKJV

Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ saith the Lord of hosts.

John 1:12-13 NKJV

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the [e]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

(Back to The Lesson)

1 John 4:13 NKJV

13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

The agency or Agent by which this miracle of the ‘New Birth’ occurs is the Ruach HaKodesh; The Holy Spirit of God, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. As believers, they and we have the assurance of God with us through the Presence: the Holy Spirit, both within and without. 

1 John 4:14 NKJV

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

John, again, testifies to his personal knowledge of the ministry of Jesus, the Messiah, and to the fact that God sent Christ to save all who would hear His message (the Gospel) and believe (John 1:12-13 & John 3:16). As a witness to these events, John’s testimony validates the testimony of other New Testament writers in the ears of his audience and to us today.

1 John 4:15 NKJV

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

John then assures his audience that even though they have not seen Jesus, because they have believed his (John’s) message and have accepted and confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives, they share in the Salvation that John preaches: the salvation that Christ provides. By this, they can trust that God truly lives in them.

1 John 4:16 NKJV

16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Beloved, we are hopeful in what we believe because we know that God is love. A loving God loves those who believe. That must be the case. There is no scenario whereby God would save us if He did not love us. None. We have and abide in this great promise of salvation because we are assured that … God is love. We can relax in His love. His is a love that can be trusted.

1 John 4:17 NKJV

17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 

As we discussed in verse twelve (above), God’s love in us has been perfected (in us). God’s work in us is complete. So certain is truth, that we can look toward the Day of the Lord without fear, but with boldness. Our ticket has been punched. Our boarding pass has been issued. We’re just waiting on the train.

When I first ‘got saved’, I was in a small Holiness fellowship where, oftentimes, during Friday night service (yes, we had church on Friday night), we would have what we called ‘Rapture drills’. During the praise and worship portion of the service, the pastor would exhort us to ‘jump up!’, as a way of imitating the Rapture. However, that imitation falls short because we won’t ‘jump up’, we will be ‘caught up’, ‘swept up’, ‘carried up’ by the very Spirit of God that lives within us and keeps us until that glorious day. Our guarantee of that is His Spirit living in us. Hallelujah!

Take a Moment 

1 John 4:18-19 NKJV

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love [c]Him because He first loved us.

(The two verses above are not part of today’s text, but complete the thought that John makes in verses 12 through 17)

1 John 5:4 NKJV

4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—[a]our faith.

Faith! Faith! Woo Hoo! Yes, Lord! Thank you, Jesus! Faith! We are overcomers by faith! The same faith by which God commanded creation into existence has saved us! The same faith by which the elders obtained a good report has saved us! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! We have overcome the world by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the Word of our testimony! By Grace, we are saved, through Faith! Hallelujah!

The intent of this lesson, then, is summarized quite handily in this last verse of today’s lesson. There is no need for further exhortation. John finishes with a rhetorical flourish with these words...

1 John 5:5 NKJV

5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

I guess I’ll close with a rhetorical question, “Need I say more?” (smile)

Selah!

wb

♫“All you need is love

All you need is love

All you need is love, love

Love is all you need”♫

~ The Beatles

Sunday School Lesson for August 15, 2021 - A Patient, Persevering Faith: Printed Text: Hebrews 10:23-36 ESV; Background Scripture: Hebrews 10:19-39 ESV; Devotional Reading: Psalm 40:1-13 ESV

 

Key Verse:

Hebrews 10:23 ESV

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

At the end of the day, we must hold fast to our profession of faith, without wavering. However, there are times when that hope is not so clearly defined from our pulpits and our educators. My desire this week is to clear away some of the confusion so that we might more clearly focus on that Hope that God has set before us. 

Where to begin?

Hebrews 1:1-4 ESV

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

For this week’s lesson, some background must be provided. The author (unknown) of Hebrews was writing to a specific community of Christians: those whose national origin was Hebraic and who were living within a community of unconverted Hebrews. While the Book of Hebrews is rich in its communication of our faith, it must be remembered that it is specific to Jewish converts to Christianity. 

The reason for the Letter to the Hebrews is that the Hebraic Christians felt extreme pressure coming from within their own community (Jews), resulting in the loss of income, property, and in many cases, the loss of freedom and life. The writer encouraged them in this epistle to hold on to their profession of faith in Christ! They needed to hold on to Christ and not be bullied back into the empty observance of the ceremonial Law of Moses, which the Hebrews had observed for over two millennia.

Subsequently, there are some problematic passages in Hebrews 10 that create confusion in the community of non-Hebraic Christians that persists to this day. While I will cover the intended context of today’s lesson, I will also address those problematic areas, in order to bring clarity and...peace.

In short, the writer reminds the audience of the superiority of Christ over the implements and articles of the entirety of the Hebraic religious understanding up to that point in time, including the word of angels and all unseen entities except God, the Father. Additionally, Jesus is superior to the heroes and the patriarchs, including Abraham, Moses, and all of the rest of the heroes in the pantheon of faith. The writer then demonstrates Jesus’ superiority to the Law of Moses, to the High Priest, and to the Tabernacle in which the House of Aaron served. Through Christ, we are invited to a greater ‘Rest’ than Joshua brought the Hebrews into when they entered the promised land. 

Hebrews 9:22 ESV

22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.

Finally, the author demonstrates the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross over the shed blood of bulls and goats. The elements and articles in the Tabernacle, then later, the Temple had to be cleansed annually, even before the people could be cleansed in that yearly Day of Atonement. Conversely, Christ was sacrificed once, for all of time, for all of our sins; past, present, and future.

Hebrews 9:28 ESV

28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Hebrews 10:14 ESV

14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

_______________________________

Thus, there is no longer any offering required for sin…

Hebrews 10:15-18 ESV

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16 

“This is the covenant that I will make with them

    after those days, declares the Lord:

I will put my laws on their hearts,

    and write them on their minds,”

17 then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Under the unction of the Holy Spirit, the author reveals that

1. That Jesus brings forth a new and better Covenant.

2. That by the Spirit, God would indwell those who are saved.

3. That He would no longer remember sins.

4. There was no longer a requirement for offering for sin. Jesus finished the work.

 

These benefits of the better covenant Christ provides are a source of assurance for every believer, but the last two points are cause for contention within the community of the Hebrews. The Holy Spirit is explicit in making the point that there is no longer a required offering for sin, the non-Christian Jews were adamant that the yearly sacrifices must continue. Thus, they pressured the Christians in their midst to observe these same sacraments to obtain God’s righteousness. The author of Hebrews is encouraging the Hebraic Christians to hold fast to the truth: Christ only needed to be offered once for all time.

The more ethereal issue here was the issue of sin. The writer of Hebrews insists that by this new, better covenant, God has settled the sin issue for the believer. This subject affects the confidence of every Christian, both Jewish and non-Jewish. How we understand what Christ did for us concerning sin really governs our sense of eternal security. The question becomes, “Is Christ keeping us, or are we keeping ourselves?”

 

Hebrews 10:22 ESV

 

22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water...

 

The author makes it clear that we can draw near to God, into His very presence with full assurance and clear consciences, having been made clean, pure by the very Word of Faith that we received.

The Lesson

Hebrews 10:23 ESV

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Micah 7:9 ESV

19 

He will again have compassion on us;

    he will tread our iniquities underfoot.

You will cast all our[a] sins

    into the depths of the sea.

The author of Hebrews then exhorts the Hebraic Christians to hold fast to their confession. This same exhortation holds for non-Jewish believers as well. When we accepted Jesus as our Savior, we were saved. At that moment, our eternal security was permanently secured. No questions. All of our sins; past, present, and future were thrown into the Sea of Forgetfulness, to be remembered no more. Imagines that! God is so great, He has the power to forget sin! Give me a minute!

Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

The author asks readers to consider all that they have inherited in this better, new covenant, and to let that compel them to love one another, to draw near to one another for strength and encouragement. Let the strong encourage the weak, rather than allowing them to drift away, with the knowledge that with each passing day, the return of the Lord draws nearer. Beloved, this is sound advice to us today. Though our challenges are different, the exhortation remains. Hang on. Christ’s return is closer now than when we first believed!

Hebrews 10:26-31 ESV

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Matthew 12:31 ESV

31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

OK, so I lumped this section of the lesson together because this section is problematic for so many believers. This is the section alluded to earlier that is specific to the Hebraic Christian community that the author was writing to. The topic here is not sinning, from a generic standpoint. The topic here is the specific sin of turning away from the knowledge that Christ’s sacrifice at the cross was sufficient to secure eternal salvation for the believer. The writer points out that the old sacrificial system was now obsolete. It would be sinful to revert back to it in an effort to achieve righteousness before God. The problem is compounded by the thought that by returning to the old ways, you actually profane the sacrifice that Jesus made, thus profaning His great Name. Christ is the final revelation from God of God. There is no name greater. 

Additionally, the author points out that as a result of this ‘turning away’, the once clear conscience is no longer clear. I would argue that the constant fear of judgment is a sign of unbelief. A conscience that turns away is a conscience that was not ever really clear. The writer of Hebrews exhorts the Hebraic Christian audience not to succumb to the pressure of their non-christian peers and doubt the sufficiency of the shed blood of Christ to save.

So, do any of the verses above apply to believers today? Short answer: No! Not from a salvational point of view. Their importance is informational or educational only. What we learn here is how great an insult it would be to the Spirit of Grace to deny Christ. This is in line with  Jesus’ statement about blaspheming the Holy Spirit (above).

Isaiah 43:25 ESV

25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

Thus, the only deliberate sin referenced here is the deliberate sin of continual sacrifice for sin, thereby denying Christ. What about all other sin? God dealt with those. All of them; past, present, and future. God continually promised just that throughout the Old Testament. His desire for us is that we enter into His eternal rest. From the moment of salvation, we are at rest. We can put away fear and anxiousness. Only Santa Claus is making a list. God is not. Not for the believer. Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Hebrews 10:32-34 ESV

32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one

The writer now reminds the audience of the torment they have endured for their faith. They are no strangers to hardship and affliction, however, they have responded with the most Christian way. They have endured with joy and compassion. Both their endurance and their love were a product of their faith in God. In like manner, we who endure hardship with hopefulness and faith bear witness to a world without hope that hope is available. Hope is available in the person of Jesus Christ. 

Hebrews 10:35-36 ESV

35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

In closing, the author encourages the readers to hold on to their confidence in Jesus. Those same words encourage us all. Beloved, your salvation is secure. God will not rescind it. He promised. His promises are Yes and Amen.

Selah,

wb

Hebrews 12:22-24 ESV

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly[a] of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Sunday School Lesson for August 8, 2021 - A Necessary Faith: Printed Text: Hebrews 11:1-8,13-16 NIV; Background Scripture: Hebrews 11;13:1-19 NIV; Devotional Reading: Hebrews 11:32-40 NIV

 

Key Verse:

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Hope has a name...

Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews focuses entirely on the supremacy of Jesus over all of creation. We must always keep Him front and center in our hearts, in our minds, and in our intentions. Without Jesus, we are nothing. Because of Him, we have everything, eternal life, full of glory and love, for God is Love.

The Lesson

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

A confident hope. That is what we have gained in so great a salvation. Hope, as we think of it, is normally connected to a future desire, and as such, is uncertain in nature because the future is outside of our control. This confident hope that we have in Christ is different, in that it has no uncertain element. That is because its source is Christ, The same Christ, who existed before creation and who, in fact, is the very author of all creation. Our hope has a name: Jesus.

Hebrews 11:2 NIV

2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

The progenitors of our faith were not led haphazardly by empty imaginations or fruitless whims. Rather, they were inspired by that same Holy Spirit of God that designed and created all of existence. That these men followed a common purpose from diverse origins demonstrates a singularity of purpose in the direction each of their lives took. Careful examination reveals the commonality of purpose and the unveiling of God’s plan for the ages. In their obedience, they set examples for all of us who would follow them… as they followed Christ.

Hebrews 11:3 NIV

3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Those same forefathers of our faith believed, as do we, in the God of Heaven and Earth, Who spoke all that exists into being. All of the matter for a million light-years and beyond was spoken into existence with these words:

Genesis 1:3 NIV

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 

Additionally, scientists are continually making new discoveries that corroborate the thought that the power in those words is still effectually expanding the universe. For believers, scientists simply confirm and continue to confirm that which we accept by faith; that God created the universe by the power of the manifestation of His Word.

Genesis 3:21 NIV

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 

Hebrews 11:4 NIV

4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

Hebrews 9:22 NKJV

22 And according to the law almost all things are [h]purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no [i]remission.

Abel understood the message God declared in the garden: that a Savior would save. He would save mankind. He would save all of creation. All that is was cursed by the fall of man to sin. God very simply declared the coming of His Son, Jesus, by whom all that is will be redeemed. He declared it by the sacrificing of innocent animals to provide coverings for His children in Eden.

Likewise, Abel worshipped God in Spirit and in Truth by declaring the eventuality of the Cross of Christ and its ability to make all of creation righteous. Because of his obedience in adhering to the Heavenly instruction, God declared Abel’s righteousness before all creation. God also declared Abel’s justification by declaring that his righteous blood still speaks to us, not from the grave, but from eternity.

Hebrews 11:5 NIV

5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”[a] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

Genesis 5:24 NIV

Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

In like manner, Enoch simply walked from earth into eternity with God, simply because please God. Little else is known of Enoch. Little else need be known. Our challenge is to emulate his faith and his faithfulness. Thereby will we find that we too are pleasing to our Father in Heaven.

Hebrews 11:6 NIV

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

In fact, there is no greater reward than God. Not wealth,  nor possessions, not fame, nor rank. Nothing compares to the beauty of our Lord. However, that is completely unknowable without faith. Faith in God.

Hebrews 11:7 NIV

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

Genesis 7:4 NIV

4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”

It is said, that until the day of Noah, it had never rained upon the earth. That is debatable, however, the rain that God forewarned was of a completely different nature. It was a tool of God’s judgment of the sinfulness of the people of Noah’s day. So great was their sin, that all of humanity was found guilty. Yet, Noah and his family were spared because of his belief. His reverent fear of God in a time filled with irreverence set him apart as righteous in God’s eyes. The example he left us was a life of sanctification and holiness that we too emulate because of faith… like Noah’s.

Hebrews 11:8 NIV

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 

No, Abraham didn’t know where he was going, but he trusted God. By doing so, he typified the simplicity of Salvation: Believe God and it will be counted to you for righteousness. Just believe, then act on that belief. Paul said it this way, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Saved by grace, through faith. Salvation is simply saying yes to God’s unspeakable gift: Our Lord, Jesus; God’s anointed.

Hebrews 11:13-16 NIV

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

All of those mentioned in this tome, by faith, foreknew a place to come. A place not built with human hands. A place that Jesus described as having ‘many mansions’. A place full of the Glory of the Lord. They walked by faith toward the eventuality of Eternity. In so doing, they set forth, by example, the narrow, fruitful path to Eternal Life to and through Jesus. For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Selah

wb

Romans 8:14 NIV

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

Hebrews 12:22-24 NIV

22 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, 23 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, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.