Guaranteed to persevere, called to work at it.
Text: Heb 10:19-27
Theme: Guaranteed to persevere, called to work at it.
Doctrine: Perseverance of the Saints
Image: Most Holy Place
Need: Apathy
Message: Work at your faith.
A Call to Persevere
Hebrews 10:19-27
Background
It is amazing how little we know about this letter. We do not know who wrote it, we do not know where it was written from, and we do not know who it was written to. All we know is that the letter is written to some Jewish Christians who seemed to be turning back to old testament practices. In their eyes, the move was simply a more traditional form of Christianity, but for the writer of the letter, it was a very dangerous practice. They were allowing the gospel message of Jesus Christ to be watered down by returning to the old practices of the temple and priests. The author is pointing out that what the readers are adopting is in fact no Christianity at all (Carson, Moo, and Morris; p. 403). Why these Christians were moving back to Judaism is only hinted at in the book. It seems some were tired of bearing the shame of being outside their cultural heritage, while others seemed to be hiding in Judaism which was recognised by the Romans because Christianity was persecuted.
The Old Covenant
In the Old Covenant, the one given to the Israelites through Moses at Mt Sinai, the people had the priests, the Levites, as their intercessors before God. There were strict limits on who could approach God and when. Herod's temple in Jerusalem was a magnificent structure. In the outer court, all could come to worship Yahweh. In this court, even the Gentiles could come and serve God. This court is where schools were held, and where business transactions were carried out. As you passed through this court you come to an entrance with notices prominently displayed which read, “Only Jews can enter here. All others face death to enter.” As you passed through this barrier into the women's court you notice 13 money boxes placed throughout the courtyard. These were shaped like upside down trumpets, and made a clink every time someone made an offering. As you approach the gate to the Court of the Men of Israel, you have to climb the 15 steps of assent. It was customary to chant one of the psalms of ascent as you climbed these steps, like we did this morning with Ps 126. Upon entering this gate you came face to face with the massive altar gilded in gold. As you turn right you can see the priests slaughtering the animals for the sacrifice. When the priests had slaughtered the animals, and presented the sacrifice, they used the bronze laver at the other end of the court to cleanse themselves again. This is as far as you can go. There is no way for you to go into the temple sanctuary. There is no way for you to approach God's presence in the Holy of Holies without taking your very life into your hands. God killed Nadab and Abihu for not following his instructions in worship. A common person simply does not enter into the holy places of the temple.
If you happened to arrive on the day of atonement, you might be lucky enough to see the high priest dressed in his vestments, moving into the temple sanctuary. Once a year he was allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifices on behalf of the Israelites. The priest took some of the blood of the sacrifice for his sin into the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled it seven times on the ark. Then he sacrificed a goat as a sin offering for the people. After all this had been done, the High Priest then confessed all the sins of the people on another live goat. This goat was then sent out into the desert as the scape goat, carrying all the sins of the people away from them. The High Priest was the representative of the people, and the ceremony of the day of atonement reconciled the people to God.
Reasons for exhortations.
The writer of Hebrews makes is very clear that the old testament practices were just that, for an old testament, or an old covenant. Jesus has now replaced that covenant with a new one. The Hebrews were no longer subject to the practices of the old covenant, because they were merely a shadow of the new covenant. The day of atonement practices and sacrifices of the high priest have been replaced with Christ's once and for all sacrifice. The sacrifices of the old covenant were a constant reminder of sin, they did not cleanse once and for all, if they did, then they would not have to be constantly repeated. But Christ's sacrifice was done once for all, and after his sacrifice he sat down at the right hand of God, his work done. Christ is now the way to the living God, he is the great high priest over the house of God, and he is the one who can really cleanse us.
Since we have this new sacrifice, since we have this new high priest in Christ Jesus, the writer gives us three exhortations. First, we are to draw near to God in faith, second we are to hold fast to our confession of hope, and third we are to stimulate each other into love and good works.
Draw near to God in FAITH.
The writer encourages the Hebrews to draw near to God. He tells them that the old barriers have been broken. The tabernacle and temple were sent up in such a way that God dwelt separate from his people. He did this because he could not live among a people who were sinful. The people of God, the Israelites had been set apart from the nations by God, through his promise to Abraham. He made them a priesthood to the nations. Within this people he placed his tabernacle, and within the tabernacle, in the Holy of Holies, was set the ark, the symbol of his dwelling with his people. There were restrictions as to who could approach it, how they could approach it, and when they could approach it.
The Hebrews were not used to being encouraged to enter into God's presence. They were extremely afraid of God. They knew him to be holy and vengeful. They knew enough to be careful around symbols of his presence. Here the readers have someone telling them to approach God, and not just approach him, but do it boldly. They knew God's instructions to Moses. They thought that people were not supposed to approach God boldly. Only some could do it, and they had to do it humbly. No, the writer explains, you no longer have to be afraid to enter God's presence. You are no longer recognised as a sinful people. You have had your hearts cleansed of an evil conscience, of a bad conscience, of a guilty conscience. Your bodies have been washed in pure water.
This is why we can enter God's presence. This is why we can live in communion with him. We have been washed in the pure water of baptism. Jesus Christ has paid for our sins using his own blood. Our liturgy every Sunday highlights this fact as well. When we enter God's presence we praise him for his glory. We know that we are not worthy to come into God's presence, yet he graciously invites us. We know that our sins are forgiven, and so we gladly confess them to him. Through the words of scripture we receive the assurance that our sins have been forgiven. Thus, we approach God's throne boldly. We worship him as our father, because we have been adopted as his children. We come to him and hear a word from his throne through the scriptures. We take his teaching to heart and commit ourselves to serve him throughout the week. We can approach him boldly, in true faith, with full assurance of faith. There is no longer a priestly caste to stand between us and God. Christ is our high priest, and he has torn open the curtain of the Holy of Holies, providing direct access to God.
God has not changed. He is still the almighty God, he is infinitely holy, he is perfectly just, and he is still to be held in honour. We are not to be flippant to God, and speak to him how ever we choose. We still must respect him, and give him the esteem that is due him. But we do not have to cringe before him, fearful for our lives, because we have been forgiven. We no longer have to go through the long cleansing process the priests did, because we are cleansed by Jesus blood.
Hold fast to your confession of HOPE.
So, the first thing the writer urges us to do is to draw near to God boldly, in true faith. The second thing the writer urges to do, is to hold fast to our confession of hope. We are to hold fast our hope without wavering, because he who promised is faithful. Since Christ is a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and is superior to the Levites, the writer explains that “On the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.” (Heb 7:18-19) A better hope is introduced, a better way to come to God, a better way to be reconciled to God, a better, more sure foundation for our faith. This is our hope. Christ is our hope. Our hope is what allows us to face death without much fear. Our hope is that Christ has paid the penalty for our sins. Peter urges us to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Pt 3:15) Thus, the confession the writer wants us to hold onto is the confession of our salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus. He wants us to remember, and hold onto the confession of our hope. Even if we don't feel it, he wants us to confess it.
When we are faced with difficulties in our lives we do not always feel that we have any hope left. When our loved ones pass away, or when our children do not grow up into the faith, or when our family members stop attending church, or when our crops fail, or when the whole word seems to be going to hell in a hand basket, we are still to confess our hope. It is the only thing we can truly be sure of. We can be sure of it because he who promised it is faithful. We can be sure of it because God keep his promises. Our hope is secure because God kept his promise to Abraham, and gave him a son. Our hope is secure because God kept his promise to Israel, and gave them the land of Canaan. Our hope is secure because God kept his promise to David, and placed Jesus Christ on his throne to rule forever. Thus, we are to hold fast to our confession of hope.
Stimulate LOVE and good works.
So, the first thing the writer urges us to do is to approach God boldly, in faith. The second thing is to hold fast to the confession of our hope. The third thing the writer urges us to do, is to spur each other to love and good works. James tells us that faith is evidenced by works (Jm 2:14-26). So, when we spur each other to grow in love and good works, we are spurring each other to grow in the faith. The writer of Hebrews says we do this by not neglecting to meet together. When we meet together, we encourage one another. Meeting together for this writer has nothing really to do with getting encouragement for yourself, or getting some benefit for yourself, but the readers are urged to continue to meet to encourage others. “It's what you give that counts, not what you get,” says the writer.
We are to spur one another into greater love. After celebrating the passover with his disciples Christ said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn 13:31, 32) Thus, when we gather, and we encourage each other, we strengthen our faith, and that of our brother and sister. If we can all gain in love and good works, we make it easier for others to spot that we are Christians. When we are not to angry with each other, or hold grudges against one another, or dismiss others when they have a grievance against us, we encourage the growth of the community, and this leads to the growth of our faith. We must allow ourselves to be open to the prompting of others. If others are to spur us on to love and good works, we have to listen to them. A horse cannot be spurred into a gallop if it refuses to acknowledge the touch of the spur to his side. So to we cannot be helped to grow in our faith if we refuse to acknowledge those who try to help us.
But for any of this to happen there has to be community. If someone cuts themselves off from the community, they are not a help to themselves or to others. On the one hand, if you have a strong enough faith to go it on your own, then you are an invaluable resource to this community. Why would you harm the growth of your fellow Christian by not gathering for worship? On the other hand, if you are struggling in your faith, and are having difficulty holding fast to the confession of your hope, then you belong in communion with others who can help you grow and give you back the security of your salvation. The early Christian church gathered nightly to read scripture, and pray together, why is it that we have trouble showing up twice on Sunday? If you won't do it for your own edification, if you think you are good enough after meeting once, then why not come again for us poor souls who need all the encouragement we can get?
The Hebrews were beginning to give up on the regular gatherings of believers. Maybe they did not gather because they were fearful of being identified as Christians, because the Christian faith was being persecuted. Maybe they did not gather because they did not fit in with those who worshipped there, who were of a higher or lower class than them. Maybe they did not gather because they were conceited, the intellectual rigour of the church was not up to par. Maybe they did not gather because they simply did not want to, or perhaps they had something better to do. Any way you look at it, the writer does not really care what their excuses were, he simply wants them to gather together.
Punishment for allowing our faith to be neglected.
The writer is very adamant that people continue to grow in their faith. This is because “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 judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” After the Israelites had received the covenantal instructions recorded in the book of Leviticus, God took a much stronger stance against their grumbling. In Exodus, God punished the people moderately, but in Numbers, God punished the people harshly. Tonight we will look at one such example, when the Israelites refused to enter the land of Canaan, and God condemned all of that generation to die in the desert. When the Israelites rebelled against God, and made the golden calf, God only sent a little plague among the people and the numbers who died are not recorded. Now we have been given the true High Priest, we have been shown the true way to heaven. If we turn our back on it, then there is no hope left for us. If the Israelites were punished more severely for turning away from the old covenant, which was a shadow of the new covenant, then how could we expect to be spared if we turn our backs on the true thing?
Conclusion
But none of this places an undo burden on us. The writer gives us these exhortations because he knows we are able to do them. We have confidence to enter God's presence boldly through Christ's body, and we have Christ as a great high priest over the house of God. As children of God we need not worry that we are unsaved, or that we cannot live up to what God has called us to do. The Spirit works in our hearts, encouraging us in our work, giving us the will, the desire, and the ability to grow into deeper faith. The Spirit also uses those around us to help guide us in the truth. None of us has a corner on the right path. We all see through a glass darkly, and by listening to others who are looking through the same dark glass, we learn more about the God we serve, and his will for our lives.
The Jews looked to the day of atonement, and to the high priest to reconcile them to God, but we look to Christ. The Jews had to perform the ritual year, after year, after year, but Christ made the true sacrifice once and for all on the cross. Christ has adopted us as God's children, and we have been given the Spirit who causes us to cry “Abba, Father” (Gal 4:6). We are asked to call our Almighty Heavenly King, “Papa”. We are instructed to call the creator of the universe, “Daddy”. We are called to enter into his presence boldly, because we have been reconciled to God through our High Priest, Jesus Christ. He stood before the father as our representative. He bore the punishment which was upon us. He took away all our sins and covered the debt with his own blood. Our own actions got us separated from God. Our own sins placed a huge chasm between us and God, but Christ bridged that gap with the cross, and now we can walk over it. We have all been called into one body, and when Christ comes back we will all be gathered together. We will be gathered from every tribe, every nation, every time in history. What a place that will be! And what a glorious benefit to be able to have a taste of that reality when we meet together here and now.
Let us Pray
Glorious, heavenly father. We thank you for the confidence that we have through the blood of your son Jesus Christ, to enter into your presence boldly. We thank you for the hope that we have through the promises of Christ Jesus, your son. We thank you that you have adopted us as your children. We thank you that you give us a taste of the final gathering of your people, from every tribe, and nation, every place and every time as we gather together here to worship you. Lord, we ask that you give us the proper words to spur each other on to deeper faith, and that we would be open and receptive to the words of others.
Amen