The verse that sums up whatis Good about Good Friday is 1 Peter 3:18: For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

Hebrews 11 is one of the great passages of the Bible. It is the "Faith Hall of Fame". But it not only gives us examples of faith, it shows us what faith is.

This is the turning point in the book of Hebrews. It starts (vs19) with the word "Therefore". In light of everything the writer has said about Jesus being the fulfillment of the Old Covenant he wants his friends to persevere ... keep pressing on in their faith.

The writer wants to show that the sacrifices of the old covenant didn't deal with sin ... but the death of Jesus has dealt with it once and for all.

It is hard for us to fully understand the palce that the Tabernacle/Temple played in the life of National Israel. It was the symbol of God's presence with his people. But Jesus is God present with his people.

Hardship can lead Christians to respond in one of two ways: To become bitter or to grow in their faith. The writer of Hebrews wants to ensure that his friends keep their eyes on Jesus.

The Old Covenant failed ... and the reason was the people (Hebrews 8:7). So God established a new covenant based on better promises. We enjoy those promises in Jesus.

The writer of Hebrews points to an obscure figure in the pages of the Old Testament ... Melchizedek ... to show that Jesus has come as the greatest High Priest ... in the order of Melchizedek.

The writer says that his friends have a diet problem. They are still n milk when they should be on meat. And their poor diet means they are not pressing on in their faith and growing.

The readers of this letter were thinking that life under Moses and the Old Covenant was easier ... better. The writer reminds them that life was tough ... and that Jesus is a far better leader than Moses.