At Christmas time there is a tension between what we want and what we truly need. We desire a gift that fulfills our deepest needs.

God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind. So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.

Persistent joy expects difficulty & persistent joy is purposeful. We don’t ignore or suppress difficulties, we acknowledge them with faith and hope. Persistent joy has a singular Source. Let’s fix our eyes on the Source of our joy – Jesus Christ.

Advent is about preparing mentally, spiritually, and even physically to create a greater sense of connection and occasion as we celebrate the incarnation of Jesus and also long for and anticipate His second coming.

Hebrews 9:15-28 // Though we tend to try and save ourselves, Hebrews 9 states that through Christ’s blood, we are offered freedom from sin’s power over us and freedom from needing to prove our salvation from eternal judgment.

Hebrews 9:1-14 // We have access to God through Jesus who has opened the way to the Most Holy Place. Jesus is our eternal, perfect High Priest and He is the perfect sacrifice that cleanses our consciences. Our responsibility is to use our access to God and not to take it casually. The main purpose of this access is to worship our God and Savior.

Hebrews 8:7-13 // The covenant brought by Jesus Christ is new and isn't new. "For if that first covenant had been faultless there would have been no occasion to look for a second. (Hebrews 8:7) The new covenant focus is the internal sphere. Why is our heart targeted? Because it is deceitful, hard, and wounded. Jesus promised us a new heart and covenant. His law on our new heart gives us eternal hope.

Hebrews 8:1-7 // We have tasted the mercy and grace of God. This is only a foreshadowing of the glory that will be revealed when we see our Lord and Savior face to face. While here on earth, our call is to proclaim the gospel respectfully, but boldly to everyone in our lives. As we do, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the author and perfector of our faith.

Hebrews 6:19-7:28 // Jesus is the better Priest because He is eternal, perfect, and gives us access to the Father.

Hebrews 6:13-20 // How do we keep from drifting? How do we hold on? What do we hold on to? Is there someone or something holding on to us? Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ because nothing can un-anchor Him from us, or us from Him.