David Hathaway

'It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 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.' (Hebrews 6.4-8, NIV.) There is repentance for sin. Before Peter denied Christ, Jesus said to him, "Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Christ lives to intercede for us, therefore He is able to save to the uttermost all those who come to Him, because he is

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,

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

'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. 

'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 b

'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 te

‘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 ha

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, yo

‘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 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 courag

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.

'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 Kin

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

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 delive

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!

‘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 t

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!

As we reflect on these 500 days of social and relief work in Ukraine, we are reminded of the immense challenges we have overcome and the lives we have touched. However, our journey is far from over. The road to recovery and rebuilding is still long, and the need for support remains great. We are steadfast in our dedication to continue serving the people of Ukraine, standing alongside them as they rebuild their lives and their nation.

'In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.' (Hebrews 1:1-4, NIV.) The Jewish people had so much tradition going back to Moses and the prophets – and they knew their Scriptures very well. But although the teachings, rituals and traditions pointed to Jesus – and they were looking for His Coming – when He came, only a small number recognised Him, believed in Him and followed Him. And of these, many later were tempted to fall away from Him, back into the old traditional ways. After all, who was this Jesus they

'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.' (4v7-8.) There is a reward for faithfulness. Have you been faithful in your calling, will God say to you, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant'? Jesus taught that those who are faithful with little will be faithful with much. Although the Apostle Paul did not receive an earthly reward, he knew there was a reward waiting him in the Kingdom. Whatever we may face in this life - discouragement, persecution, or even martyrdom - we know our reward is with Christ in heaven.  'The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heaven