The Letter of St. Paul
to the
Hebrews
Chapter
4
¹ Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest is still open, let us take care that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 1)
Oh God, my Father and Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ, let us all be grateful that even though God knows that we are sinners he has not denied us the opportunity of entering the gates of heaven. Even though we may consider ourselves as being hardened sinners let us keep in mind that if we push ourselves back from the gate by what we do or say, a greater force that is even stronger than gravity, that is the love of God is pulling us with all its might to the doors of heaven the gateway to our salvation Amen.
² For indeed the good news came to us just as to them; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 2)
Oh God my beloved Father, everybody receives the Good News, however, not everyone has the same disposition to receive and welcome it in their lives. There are those of us who receive it as a message that makes sense, but however in one's circumstances it cannot be lived, others may listen accept it but other people may come to mind who need to hear this message more than themselves who consider themselves as being upright and righteous and end up wishing that these others were present, since they need to listen to the Word of God more than themselves. Then there are those groups of people who listen in silence and let the message of the 'good news' judge and heal them and take it wherever they may be and spread it only in their inner circles. Then there are those group of people, whom I wish to be part of them who go in the streets and in outreaches and proclaim the message of the 'Good News' to all who wish to listen and at times even to those who are not willing Amen. I encourage such people to keep alive the flame and fervor that is in them Amen.
³ For we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "As in my anger I swore, "They shall not enter my rest," though his works were finished at the foundations of the world.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 3)
Oh God, my beloved Father, as much as Your love endures forever, there is also Your other side. I am aware that You are slow to anger, however, if I abuse that love, I would merit to experience Your anger. I pray that I never reach the red line of Your anger Amen.
⁴ For in one place it speaks about the seventh day as follows, "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 4)
Oh God my Father, even though we have orthopedic beds and mattresses and pillows with memory to take the shape of our head, our rest is never complete, for it is found only in You my God and Father. Even though we may use these commodities and even tranquilizers to sleep our true rest is when we have placed our trust in You and have entrusted all our litigations and issues to You and thanked You for them Amen.
⁵ And again in this place it says, "They shall not enter my rest."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 5)
Oh God, my Father what a great penalty this would be after this long struggle in life and then I would not be permitted to enter in Your presence, even though as a sinner nobody is worthy of doing so, however, I pray that You have mercy on my soul during my final hour Amen.
⁶ Since therefore it remains open for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, ⁷ again he sets a certain day- "today"-saying through David much later, in the words already quoted. "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verses 6 to 7)
Oh God my beloved Father, this "Today" can mean any day, therefore I am to remain eyes and ears open to listen and to obey Your voice Amen.
⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not speak later about another day. ⁹ So then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; ¹⁰ for those who enter God's rest also cease from their labors as God did from his.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verses 8 to 10)
Oh God, my beloved Father, Your rest is far better than the rest that can ever be offered by the world, because it is eternal and not momentarily. As in verses 8 to 10 we are to imitate You also in this aspect and experience our God-given rest not only physically but also spiritually. May our Sundays be always holy because we celebrate them in the Holy Spirit of God Amen.
¹¹ Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 11)
Oh God, my beloved Father, when I am with You in prayer, and during mass, I make an experience of this rest, for my focus is totally on You and on nobody else Amen. You are my rest my comfort and my consolation Amen.
¹² Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and the intentions of the heart.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 12)
Oh God my blessed Father, I am a living testimony of the power of Your Word, every time I pray and meditate on the Bible, You give me instruction, wise counsel, comforting words and even rebuke and admonition where necessary. I thank You for the Book of Life, which in itself is alive for its messages are valid for all times Amen.
¹³ And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 13)
Oh God my blessed Father, before You we are all sinners, and before You one day we shall come with all our sins. You know me as I am and not according to the image that I project myself by to the world. You know me with all my strengths and all my weaknesses Amen.
¹⁴ Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 14)
Oh God my beloved Father You are all that I have left in life, You and my earthly mother, may You give me the grace of remaining faithful to You my God and Father, may I continue to profess Your name everywhere I go Amen.
¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 15)
Oh brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ our God and Father, if there is someone who can fully understand us as humans it is Jesus Christ, who for our benefit took on Himself the human form in order to be able to understand and empathize with us. I thank You, my God and Father, for having taken our human form in order to feel like us and understand us better as humans to human. Amen.
¹⁶ Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 16)
Oh God, my Father, I pray that we approach Your throne in confidence and good faith and not with fear because You really love us Amen.
Therefore I would like to end this fourth chapter of St. Pauls Letter to the Hebrews with the following prayer:
Oh blessed God our Father, our gateway to heaven, You who offered Your Holy Self as a sacrifice for our atonement and salvation blessed be Your name forever and ever. I pray that as sinners we find mercy in Your presence when our time arrives in order to appear before You. I pray oh God my Father, that before I leave this earth, You will provide someone who would be both willing and able to continue this blog, that is if You do not give me a long life to cover all the book of the Bible. Amen. Thank You, Jesus.
² For indeed the good news came to us just as to them; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 2)
Oh God my beloved Father, everybody receives the Good News, however, not everyone has the same disposition to receive and welcome it in their lives. There are those of us who receive it as a message that makes sense, but however in one's circumstances it cannot be lived, others may listen accept it but other people may come to mind who need to hear this message more than themselves who consider themselves as being upright and righteous and end up wishing that these others were present, since they need to listen to the Word of God more than themselves. Then there are those groups of people who listen in silence and let the message of the 'good news' judge and heal them and take it wherever they may be and spread it only in their inner circles. Then there are those group of people, whom I wish to be part of them who go in the streets and in outreaches and proclaim the message of the 'Good News' to all who wish to listen and at times even to those who are not willing Amen. I encourage such people to keep alive the flame and fervor that is in them Amen.
³ For we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "As in my anger I swore, "They shall not enter my rest," though his works were finished at the foundations of the world.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 3)
Oh God, my beloved Father, as much as Your love endures forever, there is also Your other side. I am aware that You are slow to anger, however, if I abuse that love, I would merit to experience Your anger. I pray that I never reach the red line of Your anger Amen.
⁴ For in one place it speaks about the seventh day as follows, "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 4)
Oh God my Father, even though we have orthopedic beds and mattresses and pillows with memory to take the shape of our head, our rest is never complete, for it is found only in You my God and Father. Even though we may use these commodities and even tranquilizers to sleep our true rest is when we have placed our trust in You and have entrusted all our litigations and issues to You and thanked You for them Amen.
⁵ And again in this place it says, "They shall not enter my rest."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 5)
Oh God, my Father what a great penalty this would be after this long struggle in life and then I would not be permitted to enter in Your presence, even though as a sinner nobody is worthy of doing so, however, I pray that You have mercy on my soul during my final hour Amen.
⁶ Since therefore it remains open for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, ⁷ again he sets a certain day- "today"-saying through David much later, in the words already quoted. "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verses 6 to 7)
Oh God my beloved Father, this "Today" can mean any day, therefore I am to remain eyes and ears open to listen and to obey Your voice Amen.
⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not speak later about another day. ⁹ So then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; ¹⁰ for those who enter God's rest also cease from their labors as God did from his.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verses 8 to 10)
Oh God, my beloved Father, Your rest is far better than the rest that can ever be offered by the world, because it is eternal and not momentarily. As in verses 8 to 10 we are to imitate You also in this aspect and experience our God-given rest not only physically but also spiritually. May our Sundays be always holy because we celebrate them in the Holy Spirit of God Amen.
¹¹ Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 11)
Oh God, my beloved Father, when I am with You in prayer, and during mass, I make an experience of this rest, for my focus is totally on You and on nobody else Amen. You are my rest my comfort and my consolation Amen.
¹² Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and the intentions of the heart.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 12)
Oh God my blessed Father, I am a living testimony of the power of Your Word, every time I pray and meditate on the Bible, You give me instruction, wise counsel, comforting words and even rebuke and admonition where necessary. I thank You for the Book of Life, which in itself is alive for its messages are valid for all times Amen.
¹³ And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 13)
Oh God my blessed Father, before You we are all sinners, and before You one day we shall come with all our sins. You know me as I am and not according to the image that I project myself by to the world. You know me with all my strengths and all my weaknesses Amen.
¹⁴ Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 14)
Oh God my beloved Father You are all that I have left in life, You and my earthly mother, may You give me the grace of remaining faithful to You my God and Father, may I continue to profess Your name everywhere I go Amen.
¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 15)
Oh brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ our God and Father, if there is someone who can fully understand us as humans it is Jesus Christ, who for our benefit took on Himself the human form in order to be able to understand and empathize with us. I thank You, my God and Father, for having taken our human form in order to feel like us and understand us better as humans to human. Amen.
¹⁶ Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 16)
Oh God, my Father, I pray that we approach Your throne in confidence and good faith and not with fear because You really love us Amen.
Therefore I would like to end this fourth chapter of St. Pauls Letter to the Hebrews with the following prayer:
Oh blessed God our Father, our gateway to heaven, You who offered Your Holy Self as a sacrifice for our atonement and salvation blessed be Your name forever and ever. I pray that as sinners we find mercy in Your presence when our time arrives in order to appear before You. I pray oh God my Father, that before I leave this earth, You will provide someone who would be both willing and able to continue this blog, that is if You do not give me a long life to cover all the book of the Bible. Amen. Thank You, Jesus.
