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powerful confession

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Jesus: Apostle and High Priest of Our Confession “Consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.” — Hebrews 3:1 1. Jesus as Apostle “Apostle” means “one who is sent” with the full authority of the Sender. What this office does: He was commissioned and sent by the Father into the world John 3:17; 5:36–37; 17:3, 8, 18 He speaks and acts with the Father’s own authority. His words are God’s words. His works are God’s works. John 5:19–23; 12:49–50; Hebrews 1:1–2 He fully reveals the Father. To see and hear Jesus is to see and hear the Father. John 14:9; Hebrews 1:3 He carries out and completes the entire mission of redemption given to Him by the Father. John 17:4; 19:30 When you confess, keep this in mind: Everything you acknowledge about Jesus—His teaching, His claims, His miracles, His death and resurrection—rests on the fact that He is the authorized Messenger sent by God. You are not affirming merely a human religious teacher. Yo...
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Paul redefining old Covenant

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Paul Didn’t Hate the Old Covenant — He Knew It Better Than Almost Anyone How the Apostle Paul (and the Writer of Hebrews) Described the Old Covenant The Apostle Paul (and the writer of Hebrews) described the Old Covenant as: “The ministry of death” (2 Corinthians 3:7) The source of “the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20) “The law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2) A veil that covers the mind (2 Corinthians 3:14–16) “The law is not of faith” (Galatians 3:12) Lesser and inferior to the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:6) Defective / faulty (Hebrews 8:7–8) The power of sin (1 Corinthians 15:56 — the sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law) The victory of death (1 Corinthians 15:55–57 — death’s triumph, empowered by the law) Old, obsolete, and soon to disappear (Hebrews 8:13) A shadow (Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1) Not a true testament (Hebrews 9:15–17 — sealed with animal blood, not the death of the Testator) Given through angels (not directly by God like the New Covenant) — Acts 7:53...
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sin kills

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Sin Can Kill You — Even If You've Never Read the Old Covenant or Tried to Follow Its Rules Most people think sin only "counts" if you know the rules and break them. But the Bible says something much deeper. Sin Existed Before the Law The Apostle Paul explains: **"Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned. For sin was in the world before the law was given... Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command."** — Romans 5:12–14 Think about that. For hundreds of years before Moses and the Old Covenant (the Law), people were dying. They weren't reading Scripture. They weren't trying to keep the Ten Commandments. Many had never even heard of them. Yet sin still brought death—both spiritually and physically. The Same Is True Today You don't have to grow up in church, read the Bible, or ...
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lack of faith

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✨ He Could Not Do Many Miracles There… ✨ "And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." — Matthew 13:58 Have you ever wondered why Jesus didn't perform many miracles in His own hometown? Matthew tells us: "And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." — Matthew 13:58 The parallel account in Mark is even more striking: "He could not do any miracle there, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them." — Mark 6:5 The Greek phrase translated "could not" is οὐκ ἐδύνατο (ouk edunato) , from the verb δύναμαι (dunamai) , meaning to be able or to have power . It is the same Greek root from which we derive the English word dynamic . This does not mean Jesus suddenly lost His divine power. Rather, the people of Nazareth rejected Him. Their unbelief prevented them from receiving what He desired to do among them. They saw Him as "just the carpenter's son" instead...
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How much more

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How Much More! “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” — Hebrews 9:14 (NKJV) The phrase "dead works" in Hebrews 9 is often misunderstood. In the context of this chapter, it primarily refers to the works of the Old Covenant—the sacrifices, rituals, and ceremonial observances prescribed under the Law of Moses. Those works are called dead because they could never accomplish what the blood of Christ would one day do. They were dead because: They could not remove guilt or truly cleanse the conscience. They were powerless to impart spiritual life. They belonged to a temporary covenant that pointed forward to Christ and has now been fulfilled in Him. The blood of bulls and goats could provide only an outward, ceremonial cleansing. They served as shadows of the reality to come, but they could never perfect the worshiper from within. J...
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Spiritual Arrest

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When Jesus Cast Out Demons… It Was a Spiritual Arrest One of the most fascinating things about studying the New Testament is seeing how the Greek words deepen our understanding of what Jesus was doing. We often read that Jesus "cast out" demons, but the language behind that phrase paints a much more vivid picture. The Greek verb ἐκβάλλω (ekballō) means to throw out with force, to drive out, to expel. It isn't a gentle request or a negotiated departure. It describes decisive, authoritative removal. The same forceful idea appears in Luke 20:15, where the wicked tenants cast the owner's son out of the vineyard before killing him. The son wasn't invited to leave—he was violently expelled. A Striking Connection Immediately after Jesus told the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers, the religious leaders wanted to arrest Him. Luke records that they sought to "lay hands on Him." The Greek expression is ἐπιβάλλω (epiballō), literally meaning "to ca...
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Justification by faith

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Justification by Faith Changed Everything for Me There was a time when I would read the word "justified" in the Bible and simply move on. It sounded like theological language that belonged in a seminary classroom rather than something that could transform everyday life. Then I began reading Romans more carefully. I noticed that the apostle Paul spends the first five chapters returning to the same truth again and again: justification by faith . That made me stop and ask, Why does Paul emphasize this so much? Because it is the foundation of the gospel. We are not made right with God by trying harder, becoming "good enough," or cleaning up our lives first. The moment we place our faith in Jesus Christ, God declares us righteous. Not because of anything we have done. But because of everything Christ has done. His perfect life is credited to us. His death paid for our sins. His resurrection guarantees our new life. And all of it becomes ours by ...
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