Hebrews Part 11
Notes
Transcript
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1 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.
2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?
3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.
4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;
Here in chapter 10,
We are picking up on the same subject
that we were talking about in chapter 8 and 9
And that is that there is a new and better covenant
This new covenant has a new priesthood
after the order of Melchizedek
and that High Priest is the Messiah
according to the word of God
and Jesus is the Messiah
So, Jesus is the new High Priest
This new covenant also has a new place of worship
Instead of a tent made with men’s hands
we have the “tent” of Jesus
Which is the dwelling place of God
9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This new covenant also new worship practices
Instead of sacrificing bulls and goats
Jesus is the new sacrifice
and he died once and for all
instead of year after year.
And that is the point being reiterated here in the open paragraph
of Hebrews chapter 10
That Jesus is the better and more perfect sacrifice
that dealt with the sin issue once and for all
instead on an annual basis
1 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.
Verse 1 reminds us that the Old Covenant was just a “shadow”
Or a pattern of the good things to come
It was never meant to be perfect
It was never meant to save us from our sins
It just pointed toward the one who would save us
Namely, Jesus Christ our Lord
2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?
In Verse 2, the writer is making the point
That if the sacrifices of bulls and goats
were able to save us
then they wouldn’t have had to do them every year.
An effective solution for sin
Is one that only needs to occur once
and the Old Covenant sacrifices did not occur once
There it was not an effective solution for sin.
3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.
Rather than save us from our sins
The OC sacrifices simply reminded God’s people
that they were sinners.
That is all the Law was good for
It pointed out that we were sinners
and we were all in need of a Savior
but the Law never saved anyone
The Law only condemns those who would be saved.
4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
It is impossible because we see that it didn’t work
That’s why it needed to be done yearly
But also because bulls and goats are not made in God’s image
and they are not from the seed of Eve
and God promised that the true Savior
would come from Eve’s children
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
This was fulfilled in…
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
The bulls and goats were not made of a woman
And they were not made under the Law
Therefore, it was never possible for their blood
to cover our sins
We needed someone made of a woman
and made under the Law.
and without sin.
Jesus was the only true answer
The bulls and goats were just “shadows and patterns”
of the real and perfect sacrifice to come.
5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;
6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ ”
Here in verses 5-7, the writer of Hebrews
Is quoting parts of Ps 40
which is a Psalm of David
And Paul is attributing that Psalm to Christ
And he is about to break down what it means in the next couple of verses
So, I won’t expound on them too much
I’ll let Paul do it for us.
He is acting as an expository preacher here again
and taking a passage from the OT
and preaching Jesus from it.
So, here’s what he means by quoting Ps 40.
8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law),
9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second.
So, Paul is taking parts of Ps 40 and breaking it down for us
He says that Ps 40 proves that God intended to replace
the animal sacrifices with something new.
And that something new is in verse 10.
10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
So, the animal sacrifices were replaced
by the sacrifice of the Body of Jesus Christ.
And that is again, why it was “once for all”
and not needed yearly.
So, it seems like he is repeating himself
and he is
but there is a reason for this
Paul isn’t just asserting an unfounded claim
He is going back to OT passages
and proving that God always intended to replace the law
And this carries a lot of wait for the Hebrews
since they know the OT is the word of God
Verses 11-14 simply sums up and repeats these same conclusions…
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
No need to really expound these 4 verses as they are just repeating
what we have already established
but I do want to point out the phrase at the end “Being Sanctified”.
So, sactified means to be set a part
Something that is holy is set apart
The process of being sanctified is called sanctification
And many times people confuse salvation with sanctification
However, sanctification is a process
which is why it says “being sactified”.
So, you don’t just all of a sudden wake up holy and sanctified
when you put your faith in Jesus
It is a process
But it is a required process
At any point you can walk away this process
and you will no longer be in the process of “being sanctified”
So, it is important to allow God to make you holy and acceptable
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
And how do we do this?
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12.1-2 is talking about that process of “being sanctified”.
This is a process that is only possible because of the sacrifice of Jesus
People can be at different stages of sanctification
and still be saved
Thats why we don’t stop people at the door and ask them to change clothes
quit doing this, and start doing this.
Because it is a process
that is directed by the Holy Spirit working in a person’s life.
As the pastor, I can take notice when someone is trying to impeded that process
or if they are trying to circumvent that process
or if they are avoiding it alltogether
but that needs to be my place
and not the topic of gossip in the church
As the church we need to build each other up
and encourage one another
and practice mercy and grace
15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”
17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
In verse 16 and 17, we have a repetition of an earlier quote
Back in chapter 8 of Hebrews Paul quotes Jer 31.
Here is quotes part of that same chapter again
and points out two things.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of “writing God’s laws on our hearts and minds”.
This didn’t just temporarily save us like the OT sacrifices, but God would no longer even remember our sins and lawless deeds.
Therefore, according to verse 18, we no longer have to offer animals or even Jesus again.
It was settled once and for all on the cross
and the gift of the Holy Spirit in us proves
that God will no longer remember our sins.
He knew we could not be righteous on our own
So God put his righteous Spirit in us
and wrote his laws on our hearts and minds
That is the New Covenant in a nutshell.
Faith
Faith
Ok, Now we are getting to the good part.
Everything that has been said up to this point
is so that the author can tells us
We need to keep the faith and not walk away from God.
And we are about to see what “keeping the faith” really means.
It does not simply mean to believe that Jesus exists
It does not mean to believe in what Jesus did
But it also entails that we need to believe and OBEY what Jesus said.
Now, before we read verse 19
I want to take us all the way to the end of chapter 10
because I want us to see where this conversation is heading
that way we understand where it is the author is going from the get go.
36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
37 For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay;
38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”
39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Do you see how the word faith is being used here?
He is not using it as simply believing in Jesus
But he says, “when you have done the will of God”
and that we are to “live by faith”
and we are meant to endure
and not shrink back
for those who shrink back don’t please God
So, faith then is the opposite of “shrinking back”.
Faith is the opposite of “disobedience”
So, how do we keep the faith?
How do we remain “faithful”?
How do we hold fast?
Is it to just simply believe?
Or is there more involved?
To find out, we will go back to verse 19 and start reading
now that we know where we are heading.
Let’s see the path we need to take to get to “living by faith”.
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
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.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Let’s stop here for a second and break this part down.
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
The holy places is not the temple
We’re past that now
We’re talking about the new covenant
And that new holy place
is Jesus
And we should have confidence to enter it
because of the blood of Jesus.
The OT Priest needed the blood of bulls and goats
in order to have the confidence to enter the holy place
We have the blood of Jesus
His blood made everything we are about to read possible.
20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
Again, the new and living way
as opposed to the old and dying way
And the curtain or veil is no longer made of cloth
but that veil was torn when Jesus died
and now, the new veil is the flesh of Jesus.
Because, remember, he is the tent or tabernacle now
The dwelling place of God.
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
Jesus is the High Priest Now.
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.
Notice the full assurance of faith is comprised of 3 things here.
drawing near - That’s repentance
Hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience - That is the gift of the Holy Spirit as was demonstrated by this same chapter in verses 15-18.
Bodies washed with pure water - This is baptism in Jesus Name.
This is the second time we have seen all 3 elements of Acts 2.38 in the book of Hebrews.
And verse 22 is just the entrance into the tent
We enter by faith
and that faith includes obedience to the Gospel
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
We are then presented with the main theme of Hebrews again.
Hold fast to our confession
Don’t waver
Don’t fall way
Don’t let go
Why?
Because Jesus is faithful to us
Therefore, we must be faithful to him.
How do we remain faithful???
Verse 24 and 25 will tell us…
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Faithfulness includes
Cheering one another on with Love
Cheering one another on with good works
And Not neglecting the meeting together - so being at church.
Encouraging one another more and more as we approach the return of Jesus.
How can we encourage one another if we never see one another?
I know there are those who say you don’t need to go to church to be saved
but here, the writer tells us we need to meet together MORE, not less.
Because, to be faithful, we need to encourage one another
and how can we do that if we never see each other?
People say, this isn’t talking about church
but the word being used here for “meeting together”
has the same root word as Synagogue
The ESV's translation of "meet together" in Hebrews 10:25 comes from the Greek noun episynagogē. This word is a compound of the preposition epi ("upon" or "in addition to") and the noun synagogē.
Synagogē itself means "a gathering together" or "an assembly." It is the Greek word from which the English term "synagogue" is derived, referring to both the Jewish assembly of people and their place of worship.
The prefix epi intensifies the meaning of synagogē, emphasizing a complete or full gathering.
And, based on the context here,
This meeting together is part of the prescription
for those who have faith.
So people say going to church doesn’t save me
but the Bible says we are saved by Grace through faith
and part of being faithful according to the writer of Hebrews
is showing up when God’s people are gathered together
If you are always alone,
How can you be part of the body of Christ.
And I know it is getting trendy to say things like
the early church had service in their homes
not in buildings.
But the truth is,
they met in the Jewish synagogues
until they were ran off
and they only met in houses when they had to
As soon as they were financially able
They started building bigger facilities to meet in
Very early on they did this
The church was never meant to be underground and small
It can be that way out of necessity
but there is no Scripture that indicates that must be that way
or even that house church was the preferred way.
The preferred way would have been to convert all the Jews
and they would have just had church in the synagogues
But the Jews that did not convert
started killing the ones that did
and so they had to meet in secrecy to stay alive
Verse 26 is going to flip over to the contasting view
Instead of being faithful
we will look at what being unfaithful is.
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.
29 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?
30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
This sounds a lot like the point being made in Heb 6,
So I want rehash it for the sake of time
Just remember, there is always repentance
and there is only one unforgivable sin
The author is here not saying you cannot sin ever again
He is saying we should not go on sinning deliberately in verse 26.
A mistake can be forgiven
but a life of continued sin is not faithfulness
There will be judgement for those who do not remain faithful
Which is part of the theme of this book
Hold fast, don’t fall away
Why? Because you won’t be saved if you do fall away.
Verse 32-35 reiterates this point
by reminding them that they have already endured so much
through persecution
He’s basically saying
why endure all of that
only to throw away your promised salvation now?
And then verse 36-39 is what we read earlier
Which sums all this up
By saying if you hold fast,
you will preserve your souls and receive what is promised
but if you fall away, or shrink back
You will be destroyed.
39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
and chapter 11
Which we will start on next week
Takes this idea and pushes it forward
when the author further defines
what faith really is…
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
