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November 17, Sunday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Sanctify Christ as Holy — This paragraph is about how to conduct ourselves in the atmosphere of opposition from unbelievers. Many of them want “to harm you” (v. 13) as you “suffer for righteousness’ sake” (v. 14a), and you should have “no fear of them … when you are slandered” (v. 14b, 16) as you “suffer for doing good” (v. 17). In the middle of these expressions of hostility is this anchor: In our hearts, we are to “honor Christ the Lord as holy” (v. 15). This statement is a command. The NASB more literally shows the connection to holiness: “sanctify Christ as Lord.” To “sanctify” is to “set apart as holy.” We are commanded to be thinking of the holiness of Christ when we are being challenged by others — not of our opponent, not of our response, but of our holy Lord. Yes, He is an intimate friend, but He is also perfect, infinite, eternal, and divine. He is our awesome partner in this walk of faith. It is with this mindset that we are to face and challenge those who oppose us as Christians. It should be our minute-by-minute, God-empowered attitude. Think Holy!
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November 18, Monday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Carried by the Spirit — At the beginning of this paragraph, Peter declared that his message was not human but divine. He “did not follow cleverly devised myths” (v. 16), but he and other disciples were eyewitnesses on “the holy mountain” of Jesus’ transfiguration and “earwitnesses” of the Father’s message from heaven. At the end of this reading, Peter broadened the scope of the divine source of communication to mankind by including all of Scripture: “…no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation … [or from] the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (vv. 20-21). The Greek word for “carried along” is the same word used in describing the “rushing” wind that came at the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:2) and the wind that caused Paul’s ship to be “driven” most of the length of the Mediterranean Sea (Acts 27:15). The Holy Spirit was that kind of powerful force, causing chosen prophets to bring us the message of salvation.
Come, Holy Ghost, Our Hearts Inspire – YouTube
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November 19, Tuesday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Distributed Gifts — The message of salvation “was declared at first by the Lord” (v. 3). His message was primarily an invitation to “come to me” (Matt. 11:28, and 8 other places in the NT). That message was incomplete, however, because Jesus had not yet been sacrificed for sins. The fuller message came at the Day of Pentecost when the promised Holy Spirit came to indwell those who accepted the invitation and sacrifice of Jesus. The writer of Hebrews heard that message later when “it was attested to [or confirmed by] us by those who heard” (Heb. 2:3). There was also a supernatural confirmation given when “God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will” (v. 3b). These “gifts … distributed” is one word in Greek, with the emphasis on distribution, probably referring mostly to the gifts of the Spirit. We are all given at least one spiritual gift to use in ministry. We should notice, however, that the purpose of our gift in this passage serves also as a witness to the message of salvation. The Holy Spirit is using us supernaturally to confirm that the gospel message is true and powerful.
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing – YouTube
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November 20, Wednesday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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The Holy Spirit Warns — This is one of several places in the NT where a psalm is said to have been given directly by the Holy Spirit (see Mark 12:36; Acts 1:16, 4:25). Although the Spirit did not dwell in the hearts of OT believers, His influence was active. So, today’s reading is His message for us today as well. The warning is about hardening our hearts (v. 8) like the Israelite wanderers did. This happened, although God said that they “saw my works for forty years” (v. 9). Just think about what they had seen before that. They saw God apply many plagues to the Egyptians while He protected His chosen people. They saw Him provide a dry pathway through the Red Sea for them to cross, and they looked back to see the pursuing Egyptian army drowned. God miraculously provided fresh water, manna, and quail during their wanderings. Their hearts were hardened because they failed to recognize and remember God’s great goodness to them. Aren’t we sometimes like that? We might be afflicted with arthritis in our knees and hips but fail to remember the 70 previous pain-free years that God provided for us. Instead, we should praise Him for what He gave us in the past and what He still provides for us in the present. Hardened hearts are not grateful hearts.
Great God, We Sing That Mighty Hand – YouTube
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November 21, Thursday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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To Share in the Holy Spirit — This is a very controversial passage regarding whether a true believer can lose his/her salvation. I will comment only on this statement about the Holy Spirit in relation to the people who are the focus of this passage: they “have shared in the Holy Spirit” (v. 4). Was theirs a genuine faith? The Greek word translated, “shared,” is used only six times in the NT, five of them in Hebrews. In Hebrews 3, it is certainly speaking about genuine believers “who share in a heavenly calling” (v. 1) and who “have come to share in Christ” (v. 14). That is who we are, born-again, heaven-bound believers. In two other verses, the ESV translates this word as “partners” (Luke 5:7) and “companions.” (Heb. 1:9), which gives us another picture of our close relationship with the Holy Spirit. He is always with us.
I could not find a video for this little-known song:
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November 22, Friday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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The Holy Spirit Predicted Delay — This passage stresses the limitations of the OT sacrificial system. Verse 8 mentions “the holy places,” referring to the temple’s Holy Place, where only designated Levitical priests could go for various duties involving worship, and the Most Holy Place, where only the high priest could go once a year to sprinkle blood on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant for forgiveness of sins. What “the Holy Spirit indicates” (v. 8a) is that access to God’s presence was “not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing” (v. 8b). That predicted opening came in a miraculous way when the great curtain that restricted access into the Most Holy Place “was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Matt. 27:51) at the death of Jesus. The final dramatic opening came about 40 years later when the whole temple was torn down by the Roman army. Access to God’s presence is now open to us so that we may “draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
Come, You Disconsolate – YouTube
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November 23, Saturday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Granted and Growing Godliness — The concept of godliness is mentioned from two different perspectives in this passage. The first is from God’s point of view in verse 3, which is a good verse to memorize. There it says that “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness…” That leaves us with no excuse about not being strong enough to withstand temptation. God has provided all the power we need for living a godly life, but we must draw upon it. The second time godliness is mentioned is in the context of what is expected of us. Verse 5 commands us to “make every effort to supplement your faith…” with various positive character qualities, including godliness (v. 6). Godliness is a gift, but it also takes work. Someone may buy you a meal, but if you don’t eat it, you gain no nutrition from it. We need to pick up our utensils and dig into the plate of godliness God has provided.
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