Study Desk

Now, since God has left us the promise that we may enter his rest, let us be very careful so none of you will fail to enter.

We who have believed are able to enter and have God's rest. As God has said, "I was angry and made a promise, ‘They will never enter my rest.'" Psalm 95:11 But God's work was finished from the time he made the world.

In the Scriptures he talked about the seventh day of the week: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his works."

And again in the Scripture God said, "They will never enter my rest."

So God planned another day, called "today." He spoke about that day through David a long time later in the same Scripture used before: "Today listen to what he says. Do not be stubborn." Psalm 95:7–8

We know that Joshua did not lead the people into that rest, because God spoke later about another day.

Anyone who enters God's rest will rest from his work as God did.

Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. Everything is clear and lies open before him, and to him we must explain the way we have lived.

Since we have a great high priest, Jesus the Son of God, who has gone into heaven, let us hold on to the faith we have.

Every high priest is chosen from among other people. He is given the work of going before God for them to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

To be a high priest is an honor, but no one chooses himself for this work. He must be called by God as Aaron was.

So also Christ did not choose himself to have the honor of being a high priest, but God chose him. God said to him, "You are my Son. Today I have become your Father." Psalm 2:7

And in another Scripture God says, "You are a priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek." Psalm 110:4

While Jesus lived on earth, he prayed to God and asked God for help. He prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death, and his prayer was heard because he trusted God.

Even though Jesus was the Son of God, he learned obedience by what he suffered.

In this way God made Jesus a high priest, a priest like Melchizedek.

So let us go on to grown-up teaching. Let us not go back over the beginning lessons we learned about Christ. We should not again start teaching about faith in God and about turning away from those acts that lead to death.

And we will go on to grown-up teaching if God allows.

But they fell away from Christ. It is impossible to bring them back to a changed life again, because they are nailing the Son of God to a cross again and are shaming him in front of others.

Other people are like land that grows thorns and weeds and is worthless. It is about to be cursed by God and will be destroyed by fire.