Imitate Those Who Imitate Christ

Putting pastors on a pedestal.

How do we look up to a honor men who have faithfully preached and ministered the word of God to us? I think that there is a way to honor them without worshiping them.

Remember their Conversation (13:7-9)

By the use of past tense here the people whom our author is referring to are probably leaders who introduced these believers or were instrumental in the early days of their faith and have since passed on. What is safe about them is that we know that they made it that they finished the race and ran well with out being disqualified, hence why the author is confident that the believers here can imitate their faith.

At first the second verse seems strangely place. This high theological truth placed in the middle of these very practical verses, but when we consider that the men that they are to remember and to emulate are no longer at their disposal, then it makes sense to remind your readers that the very things that these men of the past have taught you and instilled and entrusted in you are still the same truths today. What in the old testament is attributed to God the Father is now almost without any qualification as if its just a fact applies this same quality to Jesus the Son.

Psalm 102:27 ESV

but you are the same, and your years have no end.

The believers are to be encouraged as they remember their leaders that though long passed, that through Christ they have full complete and forever access to the Father. He does not change, he will not break his promises or change his mind. The immutability of God and Christ is the confidence of the believer that God will do all that He says. We do not have to worry that we will wake up one morning to find that we once had come to know the grace of God and now He has changed His mind.

This is the way that the world views truth. They view truth as fluid as constantly evolving. Every generation believes that is it is on the right side of history and fighting for truth, but the reality is that if you are on Christs side you are always on the right side of history.

Every culture has its zeitgeist that one mantra that one thing that marks truth and authenticity for that culture. Every culture is united by a sacrament, that one thing that they place upon the altar of truth and champion, for us that sacrament has become the sacrament of sexual revolution. The author of Hebrews is reminding his audience of those who championed the truth of Christ from their past to remind them of where they came and what they came out of.

He says in verse 9 “do not be led away by diverse teachings, and strange teachings. For everyone its difference. As I mentioned just a second ago this is different for us than it was for the readers at the time. How many of us are confused that Hebrews were being led astray by various teachings in regards to ceremonial and religious use of food.

fishing lure- I have a number of different lures in my tackle box. Even among the same type of fish I might present a different color or fish it a different way.

Consider and imitate those who came before you because they preached the unchanging Words of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Paul speaks of the same idea in 1 Cor. 4:16, Phil. 3:17, 1 Thess. 1:6, 2 Thess. 3:7

Regard their Conclusion

Consider what the outcome of their words and faith and conduct produce. That is they produce eternal life, they make us citizens of a lasting city and not a fading city.

Faith in the old order of things that is the old covenant the old sacrifices, the old temple, the law, trust in those things themselves could not produce what is lasting. How is it that the faith of these men produced such things? Because it came through the unchangeable and better ministry of Christ.

Hebrews 10:1 ESV

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.

The Hebrews were somehow influenced by the offering and eating of certain ceremonial sacrifices. This was often a common theme in the New Testament as Christianity was being set apart and distinguished from Judaism.

Those things perish with the using. They benefit only the body but do not benefit the spirit.

Mark 7:18–20 ESV

And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.

It is is the sacrifice of Christ which strengthens the hands that droop and heals that which is out of joint. We feed upon Christ not like canninables but in a spiritual sense, but don't take the spiritual to mean it not real. Ours is more real than anything, the sacrifice of Christ does more than any other sacrifice ever did. People who eat from the altar get hungry again, they have to come again. And some of the sacrifices were indeed given to the priests as thier portion.

But Jesus says

John 6:48–56 ESV

I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

We eat food, we get our strength from food not that spring up from the ground, but from food that came down from heaven like manna, namely Jesus.

Matthew 4:4 ESV

But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

This was part of the problem religion was associated with an altar. Every religion has it. The Jews had the temple, the Romans had their temples, Every God had their temples where they offered sacrifice. The people looked at Christianity, and said where is their temple, where is their altar, where do they worship, and they saw none. Christianity had no temple, they have no buildings of sacred worship, they have no sacrifices, they have no priests.

but they were wrong, verse 10 says that we do. Our temple is a temple made without hands, our territory is the world out side the walls of Jerusalem, our sacrifice is a perfect and completed sacrifice, our Priest lives forever.

This is the point is this that the priest of the Old order could not eat of the sacrifice of the Day of Atonement, it was a sacrifice for sin and was to be carried outside of the camp and the entire sacrifice was to be burned. So Jesus too was offered outside of the walls of Jerusalem which symbolized sin and uncleanliness.

You see the temple was holy, that was sacred, and the place where God met them, but outside those walls there is only darkness and sin and depair.

BUT Jesus came to make that which is unholy holy, and to make that which is made with human hand of no value.

The Hebrews were comfortable where they were. The temple and the sacrifices were familiar, like a security blanket. The outside world is scary.

Think about Peter

Anyone does not come to Him, has no right to eat of the sacrifice to share in the table of Grace. Even the Jews or the Preists who had no right to eat in of theses things could if they would transfer their trust to Christ.

The human heart can find rest only in Christ not in anything familiar in this world.

Replicate their Conduct

There are still sacrifices to offer. Christs once for all sacrifice does not mean that we

1 Peter 2:4–5 ESV

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Augustine that which is commonly known as sacrifice is only the shadow of the real sacrifice