Hebrews 13:7-25 - In Jesus, We Have Spiritual Sacrifices
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Introduction
Introduction
We come to the final sermon in this study. The book of Hebrews is a sermon on the greatness of Jesus. He is better than anything that has come before in the Old Testament!
When we started, I said, “Hebrews will demand a response of worship from us, cause us to grow into the image of Jesus by faith and as we grow, we will find a bigger and better Christ!”
As the Son, Jesus is the King and Priest of Psalm 110
Jesus is the perfect king–priest, who is the image of God the Father - Hebrews 1:3 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
As the true and perfect king of the universe, he will reign forever with a scepter of righteousness over the new heavens and the new earth - Hebrews 1:8 “But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.”
As a perfect high priest, he offered perfect worship through a supreme sacrifice and brought his sheep near to God the Father - Hebrews 6:20 “where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 10:12 “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,”
We are a priesthood of believers in a New Covenant and with New Sacrifices. Last time, we saw that our priestly ministry is characterized and filled with love.
Hebrews 10:19 “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,”
Hebrews 10:22 “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Today we are are going to see that our sacrifices are spiritual (offered through faith, love, and obedience) in the New Covenant and modeled after the leaders that have gone before us.
1. Remembering and Imitating Faithful Leaders
1. Remembering and Imitating Faithful Leaders
Hebrews 13:7-9
Remember, consider, imitate - meaning of discipleship.
Frank Griffith - Almost 15 years alongsIde him (he was my pastor, Professor, friend),
He was a Pastor - Frank was a shepherd of shepherds.phone calls weekly from pastors seeking advice.
He was a Professor - John Fernandez “How wonderful to think he is now in the presence of the one he studied and taught about his whole life.”
He was a Friend – walks, food, conversations (Dylan, family, Gospel centrality, loving and shepherding the flock
One of his favorite verses was Jude 24-25 “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.’
Verse 7 - Those leaders who taught us join the hall of faith of Hebrews 11, and the reason we remember them is not only their teaching, but their lives and example that was consistent with their teaching. They preached the Gospel and they lived the Gospel. (Gospel centrality and faith)
Philosophy of teaching church history through biography. (see church history syllabus)
Verse 8 - The same Jesus that changed their lives, is the same Jesus that can change our lives. He is always the same. (the Supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus) Jesus is faithful!
Jesus is reliable because he is unchangeable!
Anchor in the storm –When the ship is new and the captain is at his best, he might not need the anchor. But when the ship is battered and the sails are torn, the only thing keeping the ship from being battered against the rocks and shore is the anchor.
Verse 9 - Jesus is the same but the covenants have changed. Don’t go backward and live under the Old Covenant. We are strengthened by grace not works!
cf. Hebrews 9:9–10 “(which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.”
It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
But you protest, “I sinned greatly. You don’t know what I did. I deserve punishment.”
Grace in the Gospel says, “You are forgiven. You are loved. The Father wants you to draw near and he has made a way.”
2. Offering Up Spiritual Sacrifices
2. Offering Up Spiritual Sacrifices
Hebrews 13:10-16
Verse 10 - we have a better altar. The “altar” and “food” of Jesus as our high priest is far better than the altar and food of the Old Covenant.
Verse 11-12 - not of animals but the once for all sacrifice of Christ
Leviticus 16:15–16 ““Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.”
but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people.
Leviticus 16:27 “And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire.”
John 19:17–20 “and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek.”
And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
At the end of verse 13 we are reminded to suffer for the sake of Jesus outside the camp.
Verse 14 - not on earth but in the eternal city.
He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,
What do our spiritual sacrifices look like?
vertically - prayer and praise to God
horizontally - acts of love (doing good and sharing)
The word “good” in Scripture is not primarily used as an ethical term but rather that which makes happy.
Just as God is good/happy, he desires the happiness of others and has provided Jesus.
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
in the same way, we can provide for the happiness of others by doing good and sharing.
3. Honoring Present Leaders
3. Honoring Present Leaders
Hebrews 13:17-19
Verse 17 - How do we honor leaders? By obeying and submitting to them as we would submit to Christ. Why do we honor them by submitting? “They keep watch over our souls.” If you submit to your leaders, it will be a joy and not sorrow. Submitting to leaders is submitting to the one who is seated at the right hand of the Father (Psa 110).
True elders do not command the consciences of their brethren, but appeal to their brethren to faithfully follow God’s Word. Out of love, true elders suffer and bear the brunt of difficult people and problems so that the lambs are not bruised. They bear the misunderstanding and sins of others so that the assembly may live in peace. They lose sleep so that others may rest.
They make great personal sacrifices of time and energy for the welfare of others. They see themselves as men under authority. They depend on God for wisdom and help, not on their own power and cleverness. They face the false teachers’ fierce attacks. They guard the community’s liberty and freedom in Christ so that the saints are encouraged to develop their gifts, to mature, and to serve one another.
Verse 18-19 - Honor leaders by praying for them. The author asks for prayer here. Perhaps he is in prison (v.19) The exercise of his leadership is done with a clear conscience and honorable actions toward them. Pray that our lives reflect the Gospel and commend it to others. That we wouldn’t bring any reproach on the gospel through sinful behavior.
4. Serving in the Strength that God Provides through Jesus
4. Serving in the Strength that God Provides through Jesus
Hebrews 13:20-25
Here is the benediction and close of the sermon. Listen to what the author is praying for.
It is my prayer for you all listening.
Verse 20
God the Father is the God of peace because he gives peace through Jesus
Jesus is the Great Shepherd because he is our Lord our King and he is our high priest who offered up his blood to ratify an eternal covenant. (Psa 110)
Hebrews 5:7 “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.”
Hebrews 6:20 “where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Verse 21
We will be strengthened to do God’s will (by the Spirit)
He will work in us what is pleasing in his sight (through Jesus)
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Verse 22 - A sermon is a word of exhortation that is to be heard in order to be lived.
Verse 23-24 - The author notifies of them of news. Timothy is released from prison and the church in Rome, Italy sends its greetings.
Verse 25 - Grace be with you all.
the grace of God keeps us from turning away from Jesus
The grace of God through the New Covenant cleanses us from all sin.
We live by grace, and by grace we will reach the heaven
Conclusion
Conclusion
The author argues that the Father’s exaltation of the Son is the reason we draw near with confidence in the Spirit to the Father (Heb 4:16; 10:22–23) and now serve as a kingdom of priests in and under Christ (Heb 13), empowered by the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant (Heb 8). Thus, Christ over all at the right hand of the Father is the great assurance (Heb 6 11;11:1) and hope (Heb 6:18–19; 10:23) for every Christian as we worship God in the “wilderness” of this life (Heb 3) until we reach the “city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb 12:22) where we will be with our savior Jesus forever!
Meditate on the reality that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father.
Listen to Jesus
Run the race with endurance
Draw near to the Father through the Son by the Spirit
Meditate on the reality that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, the Son of David and the Son of God. If the resurrection proclaims, “He lives forever,” his exaltation and session proclaim, “He reigns forever!” Our own wilderness journey can cause us to doubt this reality. When we are tempted to doubt the present rule and reign of Christ, we must preach this simple truth to ourselves: Jesus is on the throne. Furthermore, this supreme king is all an all-sufficient high priest, which means we are secure in him. He is the one who purifies us from our sins (Heb 1:3), who has bought us with his blood (Heb 9:12), and who will bring us into the eternal kingdom (Heb 12:22–24). Why are you still a Christian today? It is because of Jesus (Heb 7:25)!
Listen to Jesus. God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are the most Christ-centered persons in the universe. At the transfiguration of Jesus, the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him!” (Matt 3:17). The author of Hebrews agrees, “In these last days, God has spoken in his Son” (Heb 1:2). So too the Spirit’s ministry in the New Covenant is to glorify Jesus by speaking what he hears from the Father concerning Jesus (John 16:13:15). Throughout the book of Hebrews, the author asserts that the Holy Spirit speaks through the Scriptures, and that this exalts and proclaims Christ.
Run the race with endurance. The Father has exalted the Son at his right hand and he is our king and high priest. However, we are not yet home. When we grow weary, we should listen to the author of Hebrews, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God [emphasis mine]” (Heb 12:2).
Draw near to God the Father through the Son by the Holy Spirit. As the author asserts in chapter 4: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16), and again in chapter 10: “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb 10:22–23).
