7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. 15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. 17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Now there will always be those false teachers and prophets who will try to sow into the simplicity of Christ (2 Cor. 11:3-4) all sorts of wild ideas. Whether these are born out of Judaism or Ecclesiasticism or have Charismatic origins being promoted under the guise of being Spiritual or imputing knowledge, or as being required of us yet are only mere doctrines and commandments of men not God. For there is no longer any more revelation to come from God (Jude 3), and thus anyone who expounds any extra commands or decrees or so called spiritual knowledge not found in and directly supported by the Scriptures (or worse is only a perversion of Scriptural truth) should be quickly and unequivocally refuted and rejected. For both the individual believer as well as the collective church assembly must never give any ground to such things (and such individuals who expound them) lest they become unwitting partakers with them (consider Rev. 18:4-5). Similarly when individuals or groups of individuals claim to be exemplifying the works of the Holy Spirit if such is not being done in accord with the Scriptural decrees on how such gifts are to be exercised, and or they are not exemplifying the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) in the execution of such things, then again, such things should be rejected as not coming from the Spirit of the Lord. For if one is complacent about these things and towards these things then they are only paving the way for Satan's lying signs and wonders to be sown amongst themselves (Matt. 24:24). Therefore do not stray from the simplicity that is Christ (2 Cor. 11:3-4), for you and I are complete in Jesus Christ lacking nothing, meaning we lack neither so called Spiritual gift or knowledge, for In Christ and Him alone we lack nothing (Col 2:8-10; 16-23). And those who wander away from the simplicity of Christ into the realms of the unknown very often stray from Him forever, therefore don't follow them!
Vs. 14 "For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come."
For true believers our home is not here, not in this godless and degenerating world (see Heb. 11:13-16), and thus the Jerusalem that now is, is not the city of God, nor is His temple there, but He will be there in the heavenly Jerusalem where all of us who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb shall worship and serve Him and abide with Him in unending love and joy forever.
Vs. 15 "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."
For there is nothing more personally gratifying than to sing Christ's praises, to abide in His goodness, and give thanks to His Name, this I know by personal experience and hope that you know that too by recalling to mind what Christ has done for you and me and everyone who believes in Him.
Vs. 16 "But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."
Being Spirit filled by the worship of the Lord we should all be about doing good and sharing with all those in need, first amongst ourselves and then everywhere, for that is the Christians calling card (Gal. 6:10; 1 Tim 6:17-19; James 4:17; 1 Peter 3:10-12).
Vs. 17 "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."
Obeying and being submissive to those who rule over us is a command of God; just as it is a command that we be submissive to one another (Eph. 5:21); that said in this broken world where Satan seeks to plant his own amongst us, one must never forsake their God given discernment in doing so; for if any leader abuses, or uses, or would command the flock under his care to either violate God's Word or their own conscience (in regards to non moral things) than such is no shepherd of God (consider Jer. 5:26-31; 23:1-2; Ezekiel 34; 2 Cor. 11:5-32). That said I know there are a lot of godly men living sacrificial lives for the Lord and His people's sake, and such men we should not only obey and be submissive too, but we should also honor such men (1 Tim 5:17-20) for these godly men watch out for our souls as those who must give an account to God, and thus they rule by the fear of God (consider Exodus 18:21-22; Deut. 10:16-19; 16:19-20; 2 Samuel 23:3-4 etc.). Now in ruling, a Godly leader must do so with joy and not with grief, for just as joy is contagious and uplifting and inspiring to others; and thus has very positive ripple effects on others; so is ruling by grief (that is with a heavy heart) which can inadvertently deflate and discourage those who are following Jesus Christ. Therefore if your in a position of leadership and do not have joy in doing so than your probably not in the service of God that He would have you in.
Scripture Quotations.
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
Commentary
Vs. 7-8 7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Vs. 7-8 7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
In giving this exhortation the Word of God is pointing us to follow the example of those leaders who personally exemplify the moral excellence and the leadership qualities and manner of the Lord Jesus Christ, therefore all who do so their faith we are to both consider and follow (consider Phil 3:17-4:1; 2 Thess. 3:6-9; 1 Tim 4:12; 2 Tim 2:19-26; Titus 2:7-8; antithesis 2 Tim 3:1-9; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 3-4 etc.). For Jesus Christ is same yesterday, today, and forever, meaning that whatever God in Christ condemned as sin and unsound behavior in the Old Testament, He still condemns today. Therefore do not be deceived nor conformed to the degenerating values of this world (2 Tim 3:1-9), but rather through the Word of God be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may do and approve of all those things that are excellent and sound that are revealed to us all in it.
Vs. 9 "Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them."
Now there will always be those false teachers and prophets who will try to sow into the simplicity of Christ (2 Cor. 11:3-4) all sorts of wild ideas. Whether these are born out of Judaism or Ecclesiasticism or have Charismatic origins being promoted under the guise of being Spiritual or imputing knowledge, or as being required of us yet are only mere doctrines and commandments of men not God. For there is no longer any more revelation to come from God (Jude 3), and thus anyone who expounds any extra commands or decrees or so called spiritual knowledge not found in and directly supported by the Scriptures (or worse is only a perversion of Scriptural truth) should be quickly and unequivocally refuted and rejected. For both the individual believer as well as the collective church assembly must never give any ground to such things (and such individuals who expound them) lest they become unwitting partakers with them (consider Rev. 18:4-5). Similarly when individuals or groups of individuals claim to be exemplifying the works of the Holy Spirit if such is not being done in accord with the Scriptural decrees on how such gifts are to be exercised, and or they are not exemplifying the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) in the execution of such things, then again, such things should be rejected as not coming from the Spirit of the Lord. For if one is complacent about these things and towards these things then they are only paving the way for Satan's lying signs and wonders to be sown amongst themselves (Matt. 24:24). Therefore do not stray from the simplicity that is Christ (2 Cor. 11:3-4), for you and I are complete in Jesus Christ lacking nothing, meaning we lack neither so called Spiritual gift or knowledge, for In Christ and Him alone we lack nothing (Col 2:8-10; 16-23). And those who wander away from the simplicity of Christ into the realms of the unknown very often stray from Him forever, therefore don't follow them!
Vs. 10 "We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat."
If the Jews, and the specifically their priests felt that their sacrificial system was still in tact and superior to what Christ has done then they should consider that what we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ have from God all that they have no right too. For it is from Christ's altar that we eat, for He Himself has sanctified us all who believe in Him (Heb. 10:14). And so to understand the implications of this in the Old Covenant it was only the priests who could eat the sacrifices made on the altar for sin, anyone else who did so was to be cut off from God's people (see Lev. 6:24-7:10; 17:1-9, vs. 8; Deut. 18:1-8). Therefore if they or anyone else is still holding to the Old Covenant and it's sacrifices as an atonement for sin (whether priest or not) then they cannot partake of Christ's altar where the everlasting atonement for all our sins who believe in Him has been made.
Vs. 11-12 11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
The Word of God now draws an analogy from the Old Covenant sacrifices whose corpses were taken outside of the camp to burned with fire after the blood from them was brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for a sin offering; now camp here refers to the perimeter curtain that surrounded the Tabernacle (Exodus 29:14; Lev. 4:11-12, 8:17, 9:11 etc.), or later the Temple courtyard walls where they were taken outside of the city of Jerusalem to be burned with fire. Now the point is that just as these were taken outside the camp so that their blood could sanctify the people who offered them, so Jesus that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate (vs. 12).
Vs. 13 "Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach."
Therefore as the people of God redeemed by the grace of God we should not hesitate to bear the reproach of Christ outside of the confines of the local church.
Therefore as the people of God redeemed by the grace of God we should not hesitate to bear the reproach of Christ outside of the confines of the local church.
For true believers our home is not here, not in this godless and degenerating world (see Heb. 11:13-16), and thus the Jerusalem that now is, is not the city of God, nor is His temple there, but He will be there in the heavenly Jerusalem where all of us who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb shall worship and serve Him and abide with Him in unending love and joy forever.
Vs. 15 "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."
For there is nothing more personally gratifying than to sing Christ's praises, to abide in His goodness, and give thanks to His Name, this I know by personal experience and hope that you know that too by recalling to mind what Christ has done for you and me and everyone who believes in Him.
Vs. 16 "But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."
Being Spirit filled by the worship of the Lord we should all be about doing good and sharing with all those in need, first amongst ourselves and then everywhere, for that is the Christians calling card (Gal. 6:10; 1 Tim 6:17-19; James 4:17; 1 Peter 3:10-12).
Vs. 17 "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."
Obeying and being submissive to those who rule over us is a command of God; just as it is a command that we be submissive to one another (Eph. 5:21); that said in this broken world where Satan seeks to plant his own amongst us, one must never forsake their God given discernment in doing so; for if any leader abuses, or uses, or would command the flock under his care to either violate God's Word or their own conscience (in regards to non moral things) than such is no shepherd of God (consider Jer. 5:26-31; 23:1-2; Ezekiel 34; 2 Cor. 11:5-32). That said I know there are a lot of godly men living sacrificial lives for the Lord and His people's sake, and such men we should not only obey and be submissive too, but we should also honor such men (1 Tim 5:17-20) for these godly men watch out for our souls as those who must give an account to God, and thus they rule by the fear of God (consider Exodus 18:21-22; Deut. 10:16-19; 16:19-20; 2 Samuel 23:3-4 etc.). Now in ruling, a Godly leader must do so with joy and not with grief, for just as joy is contagious and uplifting and inspiring to others; and thus has very positive ripple effects on others; so is ruling by grief (that is with a heavy heart) which can inadvertently deflate and discourage those who are following Jesus Christ. Therefore if your in a position of leadership and do not have joy in doing so than your probably not in the service of God that He would have you in.
Scripture Quotations.
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
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