Jon Cash Ministries

Hebrews 10:26-31″If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

–In some of the most hard-hitting verses in all of the Bible, God shows us His opinion on “cheap faith”. Cheap faith can be defined as “having a form of godliness but denying it’s power.” It’s a mental faith that never reaches the heart nor does it cause someone to change the way they live. It’s an acknowledgment of God but a refusal to make Him the Lord and Master over your life. This type of false faith is rampant in all corners of the American church today. Since God is our Judge, His words telling us there is “no sacrifice for sins left” should jolt us into action. Without this sacrifice, there can be no future in heaven for the individual described above. Remember, “faith without works is dead”. If this kind of faith is dead, there is no life and no hope involved in it.

–Those who have false or cheap faith are considered “enemies of God” in the eyes of our Lord. They should expect upon their death “a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire.” Certainly, God does not mess around with this subject and “wishes none perish, no not one.” Cheap faith “tramples the Son of God under foot.” The modern verbiage would mean that we “step all over Him” or we “walk all over Him.” In other words, we use Him for our own selfish desires but never repent of our sins and humbly obey Him and His will. Cheap faith “treats as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant.” Jesus lived a perfect life and endured the most painful type of death that man has ever devised. He allowed this type of treatment from sinful man to save man from his sins. Cheap faith mocks this sacrifice by refusing to submit to God’s laws and ways.

–While God is a forgiving and loving God, He is also a holy, perfect God who will judge all of mankind on Judgment Day. Our secular society is bent on looking down on anybody who may judge another person’s actions no matter how grievous and sinful. The spirit of bigotry toward anybody who believes in absolute right and wrong is intense and growing in America. While people may deny that a day of reckoning is coming for each person when they die, their lack of faith and knowledge of this event has no impact on God doing it. A healthy respect and fear of God is necessary to begin the process of aligning our lives under the truths of the Bible. God will avenge, He will repay, He will judge. This day will be dreadful only for those who rejected God by cheap faith or no faith at all.

Hebrews 9:26-28 “But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

–Unlike the Old Testament system of constantly sacrificing animals and shedding their blood for the forgiveness of the people, Jesus Christ “appeared once for all to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Sin is the separating factor leaving humanity hopelessly divided and far from God Himself. The Bible calls the time Jesus came to die on the Cross “the culmination of the ages.” The most important historical event since the world was created was the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus made the first move to establish a relationship with mankind. Our move is to humbly accept the truths of scripture and follow His prescription that brings us complete healing from sin. If a doctor told you there was a drug to cure an incurable disease you or a family member contracted, would you tell them “no”? Jesus wants us to tell Him, “yes”.

–Contrary to other world religions, the Bible teaches that we have one life. We have one chance on earth to get it right and take the prescription medicine to cure our illness of sin. With the blood of Jesus being that cure, one has to wonder why more people do not turn to the Lord in saving faith and repentance? Some do not because they think they will have a chance in the afterlife to “get it right.” Others think they have multiple lives to come to God. Many choose to refuse to believe they will stand in judgment altogether. Since all of these are lies of the devil, it’s eternally critical to get this right in your own life, and to spread the time-tested message of Jesus Christ to your circle of family and friends. If you choose not to, you will be held accountable yourself on Judgment Day.

–Jesus Christ “will appear a second time.” Nobody knows the day or hour of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Anybody who claims they know this date is a liar and a false prophet. The Lord will come “to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” The Bible teaches that “the dead in Christ will rise to eternal life.” There is nothing more important then the salvation of the human soul. Since our life on earth is a testing ground to determine our eternal destination in the spirit world, our salvation is priority number one. As I look back on my decade as an evangelist, the number of church folk I have seen unsure of their salvation is staggering! When you love Jesus and have had your sins cured and forgiven, you should not question your salvation. There is no doubt in my mind that you know who you love and who you don’t love. Do you love Jesus?

Hebrews 9:6-10 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.”

–During the Old Testament times, almost all of the religious worship occurred around the temple area. Within the temple were two special places, the outer room and the inner room. The Bible teaches that the very presence of God was located in the inner room. It was the place where the Ark of the Covenant resided which also contained God’s holy place on earth. Nobody was allowed in the inner room for if they did, they would instantly be killed by the perfect presence of God meeting sinful man. Nobody even dreamed of going there because of the fear of instant death. It was only once a year that the high priest, or the most important religious figure in Israel would come and bring the blood of an animal with Him as an offering for the sin of the people. If He didn’t bring the blood, He would be instantly vaporized by the perfect holiness of God’s presence. With the blood, God forgave His sin and the sins of the people.

–Why is this important? Do you remember at the moment of Jesus’ death on the cross that the curtain of the inner room split apart? When that curtain was tossed aside by God, He was showing us that we could have instant access to Him at any time through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Without the blood, we can not have access to Him, peace with Him, or the forgiveness of sins. Without the blood, nobody can have fellowship with God or eternity with Him in heaven. Many churches don’t like to talk about the blood of the Lamb. I will not list their reasons because none of them are acceptable. There is only one person rejoicing when the blood of Jesus is not preached from the pulpits in America and His name is Satan.

–Without the blood of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins, our consciences can not be cleared of the stains of sinful behavior. The Old Testament was a set of rules showing us what God expected. It did not clean out the heart and give us a clear conscience to worship the Lord in truth and spirit. There are no religious practices or external rules or regulations that can please God and give you access to His divine favor and His forgiveness of your sin. Jesus came to abolish the old system of rules and playing church and putting on religious airs. The new order is here. It’s a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Nobody can get to Him unless they have their sins washed away by the blood of the lamb. There is life in the blood….

Hebrews 6: 7-10 “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

–The above verses are all about what people do with their lives. What are you doing with your life to serve the Lord? We is the “land” spoken of that “drinks in the rain”. The rain is the Word of God, water for the soul. As we ingest God’s Word and are led by the Holy Spirit, we “produce a crop”. This spiritual fruit or food are the things we do that advance the Kingdom of God. Are you feeding others with the fruit of your life? Or are you feeding on others? Worldly people feed on other people. They use people to get what they want. Christians serve people with a humble spirit and become “little Christs” to those who need to know Jesus.

–The “crop useful to those for whom it is farmed” is God’s way of saying He is the farmer looking to get a good crop from you. He invests His time, His energy, His seed, and He came to the world to die for your sins. He is diligently working to make you more like Him but He needs you to take part in the process by focusing on Him more than the world. When you do this, you “receive a blessings from God.” If your life does not accept the seeds and water placed into it by God, then you will produce “thorns and thistles”. In other words, your fruit is evil and not accepted by God. God calls this type of life “worthless and is in danger of being cursed.” This is a reference to hell because it says ‘in the end it will be burned.”

–What things have to do with salvation? Certainly not thorns and thistles. The fruit of a saved person is love, peace, gentleness, humility, and kindness. A changed life always accompanies salvation. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. They are lying to you! God is a very fair God. He is not unjust. He will judge our actions and attitudes and make the determination if our faith was real that produced real Godly fruit or fake that produced nothing substantial for Him. One sure sign of somebody who loves God is they have “helped His people and continue to help them.” Are you doing this?

Hebrews 5:11-14 “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 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.”

–In this section of Hebrews, the caption above these verses reads, “warning against falling away”. The Bible repeatedly warns us to not take our salvation for granted and to sincerely desire to grow as a Christian. The main reason most people don’t grow spiritually will not shock my readers. It’s not being well grounded in the Word of God. Paul, who most scholars believe wrote this book, says that part of what He was teaching was “hard to explain because you are slow to learn”. Other translations suggest that His readers wouldn’t even try to understand it. Why? Because they were simply not seeking God with all of their hearts and it showed up in their lives.

–These verses perfectly describe the spiritual travesty haunting many American churches today. The majority of Christians have gotten a taste of God and understand a bit of the Bible and have adjusted their lives a bit to please the Lord. Because many of the “elementary truths” have not even taken hold in their lives, they “need someone to teach them the elementary truths of God’s word all over again.” What an indictment! Since the Word of God is the only way to grow as a Christian, too many in church are languishing in the pews, holding most churches back from serving their purpose in their communities.

–Babies need milk. Adults eat meat. Babies rely on others to help them. Adults help others. With a war between God and Satan raging all around us, babies can not fight in the war. They simply get in the way and prevent the adults from fighting. If an individual is still a babe in Christ and not growing, they are literally getting in the way and holding back the adults from serving God and combating evil. God wants to teach his children “about righteousness” and wants to train you to “distinguish good from evil.” This can not happen until you commit to growing in faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ. A spiritual revival will not happen until more babes in Christ decide to grow into adults. Daily Bible study is the key to getting off of milk and onto a big fat steak!

Hebrews 4:11-13 “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

–We pick up where we left off in yesterday’s devotion. Disobedience to God’s commands will cause people to perish. There is a bunch of “cheap faith’ schemes in American churches today that attracts sinful and disobedient people into the church and helps keep the lights on. You hear words like “Say a prayer and get saved” and “walk this aisle and ask Jesus into your heart” and “call on the name of Jesus and you will be a Christian.” While none of these examples are outright lies and are actually useful in our call to God for salvation, they must be combined with repentance of sins and a changed life brought by the true indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This comes when we are truly “born again” and our lives are transformed by God for good works.

–God is alive. Jesus is alive. The Word of God is alive. The Bible “actively” transforms our hearts, minds, and spirits has it changes us from the inside out. The study of the Bible is the single-handed most effective way to become more like God and less like sinful humans. The Bible is a cleansing agent that “divides” the sinful side of us from the spirit component of us. It’s transforming power goes down to our joints and bone marrow; literally reaching us at the cellular level. God has the unique ability to take an x-ray of our mind and heart and can see things no one else can see, not even ourselves.

–Nobody can hide from God. He is constantly searching the earth looking for good men and women who are seeking Him instead of the things of the world. Like Adam and Eve, our natural human instinct is to think we can hide from Him as they did in the Garden after they sinned. Since God created us, He knows us better than anyone else. Since we will “give account” to Him on Judgment Day, the only logical thing to do is admit our weaknesses and failures and humbly come to Him for the forgiveness of our sins. When the Lord see this type of faith, He jumps at the opportunity to establish the relationship with you that He always wanted. He died on that Cross for the chance to form that bond and live with you for all of eternity. Don’t miss the opportunity of a lifetime!

Hebrews 4:1-2,6 “Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience.”

–What is God’s rest? It has two meanings. When one becomes a Christian, the power of the Holy Spirit falls upon them and a peace that goes beyond understanding begins to take them over. Worry and anxiety melt in the presence of God bringing a restful spirit and joyful countenance. This rest also refers to heaven. Heaven is a place of unspeakable joy and relaxation. It’s a restful vacation that lasts forever. Hell is a place of anxiety, pain, suffering, and gnashing of teeth. It utterly amazes me that people choose hell over heaven because of pride. Too many in the church today “fall short of it”. They go through the motions of the Christian religion without ever having their hearts converted by the blood of Jesus. Faith and trust eludes them as they have a mental understanding of God alone.

–The message of Jesus Christ has “no value” to it to those who do not mix the Word of God with faith. The Bible clearly teaches that it is “impossible to please God without faith”. The lost and unsaved world does not and can not accept saving faith and the Christian message because it is “foolishness to them.” The carnal mind can not comprehend the truths of God because it is at war with God and does not even recognize it most of the time. Everybody loves to hear good news. Why is it that the best news in the world is not being shared by Christians? I believe the reason is that the “love of many has waxed cold” during this generation.

–The last part of the above text links disobedience with not going into God’s rest on earth or in heaven. Many people have “the good news proclaimed to them” yet they refuse to believe the Word of God. There is one way to know if somebody has rejected God’s Word and that is to look at the fruit in their lives. A life characterized by disobedience is a person who does not have the saving faith necessary to get them to heaven. Disobedience or sin is a heavy weight that we place on our hearts and around our necks. It makes us a slave to the world and the evil one. God is calling us all to repent from our sins and be refreshed and renewed. It is then that he promises to give our souls the rest we all desire.

Hebrews 3:12-14″See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.”

–God connects a sinful heart with an unbelieving heart. Too many people believe an intellectual understanding of God is their ticket to heaven. I challenge you to consider this: the demons have an intellectual understanding of God and they will spend eternity in hell. When we turn away from God, our hearts turn away from Him which leads us to a life full of sinfulness. God is alive! The best measure of your spiritual condition is how much you sin in a given day. God sees our hearts and knows the connection between sin and belief. Don’t let the world and devil fool you that they are not connected!

–God wants us to encourage one another everyday. Just like we need food and water each day to thrive, we need Christian brothers and sisters to encourage us to draw closer to the Lord. In other words, this encouragement is designed to not allow us to “be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” We need to encourage others to get closer to God. We need to be encouraged “not to sin”. Hard work brings callouses on your hand. Sin brings callouses on your heart that forms a ring around it so that the Holy Spirit is kept out. One sin often leads to another sin which leads to more sin which leads to accommodating sin which leads to us thinking the sin is no big deal anyway. Sin kills. Run from it like your life depended on it.

–How do you know somebody’s faith is real? How do you know your faith is real? They will “hold firmly till the end the confidence they had at first.” I’ve seen so many people get excited about the Lord for a few months or years and then kick Him to the curb. I’ve seen people walk an aisle and say a pray but never be committed. A decision to ask Jesus into your life without a commitment to follow Him “all the days of your life” is a fake decision in the first place. If you are losing your confidence in the Lord or your walk with Him, get away from your current life situation and spend hours, days, or even weeks alone with God. This is NOT a vacation, but a soul-searching journey that will get you back on track with God, and the rest of the loved ones in your life.

Hebrews 2:14-18 “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy 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. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

–The Bible teaches that the only way for us to be set free from the power of sin and death is for somebody to come along on this planet and not sin. Sin brings instant death. Sin separates us from God. Sin can not be allowed in heaven. Jesus “shared in their humanity” for the express purpose to destroy the power that the devil holds over us. Once Jesus, fully human and fully God, lived the perfect sinless life, He broke the power of sin and death that the devil had been holding over mankind’s head for thousands of years. One of the best ways to know if you have been freed is your view on death. The above verse says, “and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Do you fear death? A Christian should not. The closer you get to God, the less you will fear death because you will be convinced that you will be with God when you pass to the other side.

–Jesus came to help “Abraham’s descendants”. This would include every human being on the face of the earth. He didn’t come to help angels, on the contrary, He instructs angels to help us as the Lord directs them from His throne in heaven. Jesus came as a man so “that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.” In other words, Jesus’ perfect life destroyed the power of Satan and “turned away” God’s wrath upon the sin in our lives. If you are a Christian, when you face the Father in heaven on Judgment Day, He will not see your sins because Jesus atoned for them. He took your sin upon Himself. He took our punishment for us. Since He lived a perfect life, He grabbed the power of death away from the devil. All who place their faith and trust in Him will have their sins washed away.

–Jesus also came to earth to be our “great high priest”. In other words, He came to earth to show us that we can live a similar life as He did if we have the Holy Spirit of God indwelling our hearts. Because the Lord went through the same struggles as all humans do, he understands what we are going through and can identify with our difficulties and struggles. Jesus suffered greatly under dire times of temptation. When you are tempted, it’s a rotten feeling and great spiritual battle. Jesus knows what you are going through and He has the power to give you to stand up against temptation. Each time you are successful at resisting sin, it gets easier and easier as you begin to understand the power of God’s existence in your life.

Hebrews 2:1-4 “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

–As you know, I push daily Bible study and devotional work as the key to your success and growth as a Christian. Why do I do this? Because, you do not want to “drift away” from the Lord. Since this world offers so many temptations and delights that are contrary to God’s Word and will, a steady diet of worldly pleasures is a sure fire way to get out of God’s will and His blessings. “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard.” A cursory scan of the Bible or this devotion is not God’s will for your life. We must carefully, methodically, prayerfully, and intentionally study and embrace scripture to keep our hearts close to the Lord.

–Many times in the Old Testament, the Lord sent angels to speak to mankind. He expected these men and women to obey them as they shared their message from God. Those who did not listen to them were punished and disciplined. The Bible is the very Word of God and are His commands for us today. Ignoring the Bible and tossing His Words aside haphazardly is a recipe for disaster. God’s salvation, through the Son Jesus Christ, can not be ignored without serious consequences in the afterlife. If you choose to live your life your way, there is no way to “escape” God’s judgment. He has given each of us the truth. It’s our job to obey Him with fear and trepidation.

–God still does miracles today. He does miracles among a people who believes in miracles. It’s sad that many Americans only see this power of God on the mission field. Miracles are a way God “confirms” or authenticates His message and power for the church, and the lost world of unbelievers. God has not changed and will grant miracles where He sees the faith of the people willing to see them. He also displays His presence through the gifts of the Spirit that He bestows upon believers. He distributes these gifts “according to His will.” In other words, the many gifts of the Holy Spirit come from God and not us. You can eagerly seek many of these gifts, but it is God who chooses who gets them. Ask God to help you know your gift and follow Him wholeheartedly in the use of them. This will bring glory to God. He wants you to use them to help others come to Christ.