David Hathaway

Spiritual maturity / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 16) Chapter 6

At the end of chapter 5, the writer to the Hebrews, which many people assume to be the Apostle Paul, is warning people against falling away from the truth. It reminds me of the story of a young boy who was put to bed, but every night kept falling out. His parents asked him what the problem was, and the boy responded, 'I stay too near the getting in side.' How true that is for many Christians. 'So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.' (Hebrews 6.1-3, NLT.)
'Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognise the difference between right and wrong' (Hebrews 5.14, NLT).

Growing to spiritual maturity / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 15) Chapter 5&6

In order to grow from infant Christians to mature believers, we must learn discernment. We train our conscience, our senses, our mind, and our body, to distinguish good from evil. Can you recognise temptation before it ensnares you? Can you tell the difference between a correct use of Scripture and a mistaken one? We all need to mature beyond elementary teachings of the faith, to gain a complete understanding of Scripture. But we must never move away from these essential teachings 
'Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.' (Hebrews 5.13-14, 6.1-2, NIV.)

The source of salvation / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 14) / Chapter 5

'During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.' (Hebrews 5.7-10.)
Jesus chose to obey His father, even though obedience led to suffering and death. Because Jesus obeyed perfectly, even under great trial, he can help us obey, no matter how difficult obedience is. Jesus didn't passively obey, it was a life He chose freely. 
Jesus is the source of our salvation. There is no other name by which we can be saved. He is the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him. By Christ’s sufferings, He purchased a full deliverance from sin and misery, and enables us to receive eternal life. 

Jesus is our Great High Priest / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 13) Chapter 5

'Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honour on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.' (Hebrews 5.1-4, NIV)
This chapter stresses both Christ's divine appointment and his humanity. At the end of chapter 4 we are reminded that Jesus is our High Priest, that He was tempted in every way, but was without sin, 'Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.' 
A High Priest represents the people before God; he offers sacrifices for sin, but as he is human like us, his sacrifices are for himself and for his people. As the Bible says, no one should become a priest by his own volition, rather he should be chosen by God. Jesus said, 'Many are called but few are chosen.' Jesus however, was chosen and called by God to be our High Priest. 

Approach God’s throne of grace with confidence / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 12) Chapter 4

'For we do not have a high priest who is unable to feel sympathy for our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need' (Hebrews 4:15-16, NIV). 
Because our High Priest, Jesus, HAD to come and live here for 33 years and face the same problems, temptations and weaknesses as we do – He is sympathetic to us, touched by our weaknesses! Therefore, v16, ‘Let us come boldly to the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.’ God is aware of our frailties, our weaknesses, our difficulties. In the Jewish religion, the people had a high priest who could enter the earthly Holy of Holies on their behalf once a year only – but the real High Priest is Jesus, who constantly lives in the Presence of God. He is God. But He is not aloof; He lived with us, He faced and understands the same problems and temptations we face.
We’re not perfect, I’m not perfect. There are sins of commission – things that you do – and sins of omission, what you fail to do. As Paul wrote in Rms 7, “The things I should do, I don’t do, and the things I should not do, I do! Who can help me, wretched man that I am? I thank God, Jesus!” Jesus knows everything we go through. He is able to be our High Priest and intercede with the Father on our behalf – because He understands us! If we don’t accept this by faith, we will be condemned like Israel to wander in the wilderness. 
Only by accepting the Promise and Truth of God by faith can we enter the Coming Kingdom. Ask God for the faith to believe ALL His Promises! God bless you!

Promise of Millennium rest / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 11) / Chapter 4

‘Seeing therefore that it remains that SOME must enter, and those to whom it was first preached didn’t go in because of unbelief… again God set a certain day, saying to David, “Today after so long a time… today if you will hear His Voice, do not harden your hearts!”’ V8, ‘For if Jesus had given them rest, He would not afterwards have spoken of another day’! Jesus came offering us a way of escape, a way of salvation, a way of deliverance, but, just as Israel had long ago stood on the borders of the Promised Land and because of unbelief didn’t go in, when He came, Israel as a nation again rejected. They rejected Christ and crucified Him; Paul was also among them! 
But, Paul writes, in the days of David, God was saying, “Today, if you don’t harden your hearts, you can receive...” In those 40 days after Jesus had risen from the dead, before He ascended to Heaven, He spoke many things about the Coming Kingdom… So that when He instructed His Disciples to wait in Jerusalem ‘for the Promise of the Father which you have heard from Me’ – He was speaking about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit – the immediate reaction of the Disciples was, “Will You at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?” In other words, “When the Holy Spirit is come, is that the moment when we enter into the Millennium Rest?”
No. We’re still waiting for that! IF, v9, Jesus HAD given them that Rest, IF He had fulfilled that Promise 2000 years ago, there would be no future fulfilment… IF He had done it, He would not have said, there is yet a day coming. It’s no use saying Jesus has come and has already ushered in the Kingdom… We have NOT YET entered! It’s in the future. It’s STILL TO COME! So, v9, there still remains a Promise to be fulfilled! 

The promise of God’s rest / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 10) / Chapter 4

Chapter 4 reverts to the theme of Chapter 3, the Promise of entering a Coming Rest. Paul writes, v1, ‘Let us fear therefore lest, a promise being left us of entering into His Rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.’ In v4, you see that Paul is linking this Rest to the Seventh Day of Creation. For six days God created – and on the seventh day, He rested from His Work. This is a picture of the 1000-year Rest, the Millennial reign of Christ on earth which still to come! 
Paul warns us, we should be afraid, lest we fail to enter into this promise! For, v2, ‘unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them’ – Paul means, the Jewish forefathers heard the promise, but failed to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief. Paul says, ‘The Word which was preached to them did not profit them, because it was not received with faith by those that heard it. But we, who have believed, can enter this Rest.’ But it’s a question, v3&5, ‘IF they shall enter into My Rest…’ It’s conditional. To enter, you must have faith that God’s Works were made complete from the very foundation of the world, v4. God is working to a Plan.

Encourage one another daily / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 9) / Chapter 3

‘See to it that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the Living God.’ Paul is saying to us, see to it that none of you is full of unbelief – which is sin – but ‘encourage one another daily, as long as it’s called Today, so that none of you be hardened by sins deceitfulness’! Oh boy! Scripture says the devil is like a roaring lion – going round eating people! The danger is that weak Christians can be deceived, taken in by the devil. If you’re not following the Lord closely, the devil can deceive you – and that’s sin. To share in Christ, we have to hold fast to our faith in Him! And in v15, Paul repeats what he says in v7-8, ‘Today, if you hear His Voice, don’t harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.’ It’s critical we pay attention!

Jesus is faithful / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 8) / Chapter 3

Jesus was called by God to take us, out of ‘Egypt’, out of this world of sin, and bring us, through the years, to the Coming Kingdom. For 40 years Moses led the people of Israel through the wilderness, but in the end, was not allowed to enter the Land. The ministry of Jesus, as Apostle and High Priest is to bring us from the moment of our first salvation out of sin, to the moment when we enter the Kingdom. Moses was faithful and did his job – it wasn’t easy because the people soon began to grumble and complain, and the weight of this hindered him from entering into the Promise. We need to be careful that we don’t grumble and complain – Jesus is faithful to do His job, as Moses was his!
Paul is saying Moses was a faithful witness in that he did what God commanded him. He led the children of Israel through the Red Sea, right through to the Promised Land. But Christ, Paul says in v6, is faithful in a different way, faithful as a Son over the whole of God’s House – and WE are His House if we hold on to our courage and the Hope of which we boast! It seems some of those early Jewish followers of Christ were being tempted to let go of their faith, to grumble and complain! But we are God’s House – IF we hold on! Just as for 40 years Moses was responsible for the salvation of the children of Israel out of Egypt, Jesus is responsible for our salvation until we enter Heaven! God has appointed Jesus, as His Son, to be responsible for God’s House – that’s us! Responsible for our complete salvation! Just as Moses had to be faithful – and was – how much more so is Jesus going to be faithful to look after us until we enter into the Kingdom! 

A great hunger for God / August 2023 Newsletter

Thank you for your support in prayer and finance, especially during my latest evangelism in Central Asia. In the capital city Astana, they only managed to get a permit for me one week before our meetings started. But, for the first time in 20 years they were allowed to put a banner in the street to advertise the meetings; and after 20 years of ‘provocations’, (disturbances, created to bring in the police), we enjoyed absolute peace! They doubled the seating capacity in the church, and every meeting was virtually full. There were wonderful miracle healings.

Fix your thoughts on Jesus / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 7) / Chapter 3

'Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest' (Hebrews 3:1, NIV).
What a wonderful way to start! I would challenge you – FIX YOUR THOUGHTS ON JESUS! He is the Beginning, the Ending – He’s Everything! To us as Christians, it’s not religious observance, it’s Jesus, the Son of God! It’s Him we relate to! Jesus, ‘the Apostle and High Priest whom we confess’! An Apostle – the Chief of all Apostles – because He was sent by God to accomplish an important mission on God’s behalf. And in v2, it says, Jesus ‘was faithful to the One who appointed Him’. Jesus came as one appointed by God to be His Apostle or Ambassador and to be High Priest on behalf of the people; and, like Moses, He was faithful ‘in all God’s House’. I see something very similar here between Moses and Jesus. Like Moses, Jesus was called by God to take us, out of ‘Egypt’, out of this world of sin, and bring us, through the years, to the Coming Kingdom. 

Delivered from the power of death / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 6) Chapter 2

By His resurrection, Jesus proved that the power of the devil has been broken and death has no more hold on us! Five hundred were witnesses to His resurrection! We have eternal life! The Bible says so! We have it NOW! My body might die, but aged 91, this is just an old temple. The ‘real me’ can never die! Jesus has delivered me! Can you understand the mercy, the goodness, the Love, and the Power of God? Can you understand that in order to make a way of escape, to break the curse and the power of the devil, Jesus HAD to be made subject to the power of the devil and all the things that plague us?!
We don’t pray to a Holy God who has never experienced what we experience. When we pray, we call on the Name of Jesus, because He lived like you and me! He went through suffering to the point of death, so that He would be ‘fit’ to be our Intercessor and plead on our behalf. When God the Father looks at His Son, sitting at His Right Hand – He doesn’t see His Son, He sees you! He sees me! Because, v17, ‘in everything, He ABSOLUTELY HAD TO BE MADE LIKE US, His brothers, His flesh and blood, that He might be merciful…’ Merciful, because He lived among us, He understands and knows our temptations, our weakness…
'Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.' (Hebrews 2.14-15, NIV.)

Jesus shared in our humanity / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 5) / Chapter 2

Jesus became flesh and blood like us, that through death, He might destroy ‘him’ that had the power of death – that is, the devil, (Hebrews 2v14). Jesus died so that we could be adopted into God’s family! That’s the whole purpose of the new birth! By faith we’re born again into the Kingdom of God as children, sons and daughters of God! It was not God who brought death to the human race, but the devil himself, that fallen rebellious angel! But through His death, Jesus destroyed him – Satan – who had the power of death over us! Death is Satan’s final ‘gift’ to us. When he tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God, he brought death on us all. But what Jesus has done is, He’s defeated death!!! By His resurrection, He’s proved that the power of the devil has been broken and death has no more hold on us! Five hundred were witnesses to His resurrection! We have eternal life! The Bible says so! We have it NOW! Come on! My body might die, but aged 91, this is just an old temple. The ‘real me’ can never die! Jesus has delivered me! 

Confirmed the Word with signs and wonders / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 4) Chapter 2

In Hebrews Chapter 1 we saw Jesus the Son, exalted to the highest place by God His Father. Paul is writing to the Jews, trying to reveal who this Jesus – who lived among them in bodily form on earth – really is! 
Going back to the previous chapter, v13ff, Paul writes, ‘To which of the angels did God say at any time, “Sit at My Right Hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool”? Angels – who are they? ‘Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister to those who will be the heirs of salvation?’ Salvation is a heritage, our inheritance; we inherit it through the death of Jesus! You only inherit when someone dies. Jesus died – and we live!
Chapter 2.1 continues, ‘Therefore’ – because of this amazing truth – ‘we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we’ve heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.’ Pauls says quite expressively in Romans 10.17, ‘Faith comes by hearing.’ Faith – the greatest gift, the gift that I ask for, the gift that I’ve lived by all my life – comes by HEARING! Paul is writing to Jews who have HEARD but are now in danger of letting those things they heard – slip!

The ever faithful, unchanging character of God / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 3) / Chapter 1

‘In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.’ (Hebrews 1:10-12, NIV)
When we look at everything around us – we get sick and we get old, the things we have wear out, the cars we have break down and get scrapped… Everything perishes in the end. But this is the miracle: God says of Jesus, YOUR years will never end! ‘To which of the angels did God ever day, “Sit at My Right Hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your Feet”’?! We imagine angels have great power; but from the moment when Jesus obeyed the Father and came down from Heaven and was born as a man and lived and suffered and died – His life and death and the miracle of His resurrection gave Him a position above every other being, above angels and all Creation, superior to all things, at the Right Hand of the Father!

Jesus sustains all things by His Word / Hebrews Bible Study (Part 2) / Chapter 1

The Son (v3), is the Radiance of God’s Glory and the exact Representation of His Being. Jesus, as the Son, is in the SAME Image as God. Right back in Creation when God is speaking, He says, “Let US make man in Our Image!” That’s you and me. But intriguingly, it says here of Jesus, He is not just the Son, the exact Image of God and Co-Creator – it is He who SUSTAINS ALL THINGS BY HIS POWERFUL WORD! We see something very significant: the Power behind Jesus is the Power of His Word. He is – GOD SPEAKING!
“You are MY SON; today I have become Your Father!” (v5). Paul is quoting Psalm 2:7. And again, “I will be His Father and He will be MY SON.” 2 Sam 7:14; 1 Chron 17:13. When God brought His Firstborn into the world, when He allowed HIS SON to be born on earth as a man, He says, “Let all God’s angels worship Him.” When Jesus became the visible, tangible Image of God on earth, the angels are instructed to worship Him!