The writer of Hebrews continues to warn us not to drift. In order to persevere until the end, we need to have clear direction in our walk of faith, powerful affections toward Jesus, and a healthy combination of fear and hope. The kingdom God has promised us can never be shaken, which should prompt us to respond with gratitude and worship.

The examples of faith in Hebrews 11 encourage us to run our own race of faith, looking to Jesus as the reward for our perseverance. As we grow in faith, God disciplines us like a father to make us more and more like Him. Our reaction to His correction reveals the condition of our hearts and determines the life change we need.

The Christian life is marked by faithful endurance produced by confidence and trust in Jesus. We are able to love others and suffer well through the painful situations of our fragile world because we look forward to the hope and promise of our future reward in Heaven. Through pushing forward in serving others and motivating and encouraging those around us, we persevere and hold firmly to this hope we have in Jesus.

Last week, we were reminded of the access to God that we have through Jesus; our need for access is met in Jesus and no longer in the tabernacle. Although the forgiveness of sins used to come through the sacrifice of animals again and again, this access we now have is confirmed with the blood sacrifice of Jesus—once for all. We are released from the penalty of sin as Jesus has presented us to God as clean and holy.

The Hebrew people tend to find security and rest in the old ways of the old covenant, but the author attempts to introduce them to the new covenant where they can find hope once for all. Although we cannot identify with the familiarity of the old covenant, we are well versed in the desires to go back to “old ways” instead of trusting in the hope of Jesus. God desires for us to let go of the lesser things in this world and hang on to the better promises of His new covenant with us.

As we have continued to walk through the book of Hebrews, the big idea remains the same: Jesus is Greater. Although the Hebrew audience is still caught in the old ways of a Levitical priesthood to grant access to God, the solution the author gives to them is the same solution for us. The author challenges them with a different kind of priesthood: a mediator who is qualified and clothed in perfection—a mediator who stands in our place and whose intercession for us endures forever.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us a living hope and an inheritance that is imperishable. Because of His great mercy, we are invited into a personal relationship and new life with our Savior.

The resurrection gives us a living hope and an inheritance that is imperishable.