Sunday, September 27, 2015

HEBREWS CHAPTER XII.

[ 1 An exhortation to patience and constancy; 14 to follow peace and holiness. 25 The danger of refusing the world. ] 

WHEREFORE, seeing we also are compassed
about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let 
us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth
so easily best us, and let us run with patience the 
race that is set before us, 
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of 
our faith; who, for the joy that was set before 
him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is 
set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction
of sinners against himself, let ye be wearied 
against sin. 
5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which 
speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise
not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when 
thou art rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and 
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you 
as with sons: for what son is he whom the father 
chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all 
are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 
9 Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh 
which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:
shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the 
Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us
after their own pleasure: but he for our profit, that 
we might be partakers of his holiness. 
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to 
be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it 
yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto 
them which are exercised thereby. 
12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, 
and the feeble knees;
13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest 
that which is lame be turned out of the way; but 
let it rather be healed. 
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without
which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the 
grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing 
up, trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16 Let there be any fornicator, or profane person, 
as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 
17 For ye know how that afterward, when he 
would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected:
for he found no place of repentance, though he 
sought it carefully with tears. 
18 For ye are not come unto the mount that
might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor 
unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 
19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of 
words; which voice they that heard, entreated that 
the word should not be spoken to them any more:
20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded,
And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, 
it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, 
I exceedingly fear and quake:)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto 
the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the 
first-born, which are written in heaven, and to God 
the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men
made perfect, 
24 And to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant,
and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh 
better things than that of Abel. 
25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For 
if they escaped not who refused him that spake on 
earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn 
away from him that speaketh from heaven:
26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now 
he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake 
not the earth only, but also heaven. 
27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the 
removing of those things that are shaken, as of 
things that are made, that those things which cannot 
be shaken may remain. 
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot 
be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may 
serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear; 
29 For our God is a consuming fire. 

Sunday, September 13, 2015

HEBREWS CHAPTER XI.

[ 1 The nature of faith. 6 Without faith we cannot please God: the fruits of faith.] 

NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, 
the evidence of things not seen:
2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds 
were framed by the word of God, so that things which 
are seen were not made of things which do appear. 
4 By faith Abel offered unto God a  more excellent
sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness
that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and 
by it he being dead yet speaketh. 
5 By faith Enoch was translated, that he should 
not see death; and was not found, because God had 
translated him: for before his translation he had
this testimony, that he pleased God. 
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him:
for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and 
that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 
7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things 
not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to
the saving of his house; by the which he condemned 
the world, and became heir of the righteousness 
which is by faith. 
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go 
out into a place which he should after receive for an 
inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not-knowing 
whither he went. 
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in
a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac
and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, 
whose builder and maker is God. 
11 Through faith also Sara herself received 
strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a 
child when she was past age, because she judged 
him faithful who had promised. 
12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him 
as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in 
multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea-shore
innumerable.
13 These all died in faith, not having received 
the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were
persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed 
that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 
14  For they that say such things declare plainly
that they seek a country. 
15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that 
country from whence they came out, they might have 
had opportunity to have returned. 
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, 
an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be 
called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. 
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered 
up Isaac: and he that had received the promises 
offered up his only-begotten son
18 Of whom it was said, 'That in Isaac shall thy 
seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him
up, even from the dead; from whence also he received 
him in a figure. 
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning 
things to come. 
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed 
both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning
upon the top of his staff. 
22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention 
of the departing of his children of Israel; and gave 
commandment concerning his bones. 
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid
three months of his parents, because they saw he was 
a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's 
commandment. 
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people
of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater 
riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect 
unto the recompense of the reward. 
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the 
wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him 
who is invisible. 
28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the 
sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn 
should touch them. 
29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as 
by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do 
were drowned. 
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after 
they were compassed about seven days. 
31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with 
them that believed not, when she had received 
the spies with peace. 
32 And what shall I more say? for the time 
would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and 
of Samson, and of Jepthae, of David also, and 
Samuel, and of the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths 
of lions. 
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the 
edge of the sword, out of weakness were made 
strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the 
armies of the aliens. 
35 Women received their dead raised to life again:
and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance;
that they might obtain a better resurrection:
36 And others had trial of cruel mocking and 
scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, 
were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered 
about in sheep-skins and goat-skins; being 
destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they 
wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens
and caves of the earth. 
39 And these all, having obtained a good report
through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, 
that they without us should not be made perfect.