Established by Grace, Expressed in Sacrifice
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Hebrews 13:9–16
The closing chapters of Hebrews remind us that the Christian life is not built on ritual, rules, or religion—but on a relationship grounded in grace.
The writer warns against being “carried about with divers and strange doctrines” these will distract us from the simplicity and sufficiency of grace.
When we are firmly established by grace, our lives become altars of gratitude.
Grace doesn’t only change what we believe but it changes how we behave—it produces stability but it also produces sacrifice.
John Newton, who penned “Amazing Grace,” once said, “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I hope to be, but by the grace of God I am what I am.”
That same grace that saved us is the grace that sustains us—and it calls us to serve.
I. The Stability of Grace
I. The Stability of Grace
9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
A. Be Grounded, Not Gullible
A. Be Grounded, Not Gullible
The writer cautions, “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines.”
Grace gives spiritual balance when false teaching brings confusion.
I have known some that watch videos on the internet and change their theology every few weeks.
Ephesians 4:14 reminds us…
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
We need to make Acts 17:11 a habit
11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Not searching scripture in the lens of our beliefs or understandings but praying that God would direct us to understand His truth.
When someone shares a new “teaching,” say, “Let’s see what the Bible says about that.”
Be careful of the trap of following the gimmicks, the next new truth that no one has ever seen before.
If you are seeing a truth that no one has understood before it is not a truth from God!
God’s truth is eternal, it doesnt’ change wiht time, trends or personal insights.
8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: But the word of our God shall stand for ever.
If someone claims to have “a truth no one has ever seen before,” it’s not a new revelation from God—it’s likely misunderstanding, pride, or even deception.
Jude 3 calls us to earnestly contend for the faith
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
The faith—the body of truth God gave—is complete and sufficient.
And we need to defend it.
It’s vital we stay connected to sound, grace-filled community.
Spiritual stability grows in fellowship, not isolation.
Ephesians 4:15 tells us
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Be consistent in church attendance, discipleship classes, like Sunday school, and personal accountability.
Get with a mature believer to talk through these things.
Remember the Holy Spirit illuminates, but He does not innovate.
The Spirit’s role is to help believers understand what God has already revealed in Scripture.
John 16:13 says,
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
That doesn’t mean He adds new truth—it means He guides us into the truth already revealed.
When you or I gain new understanding, it’s not because the truth changed—it’s because our eyes were opened to what was always there.
Think of it like sunlight entering a dark room: the light doesn’t create the furniture; it just reveals what’s been there all along.
Beware of “private interpretations.”
Peter warned about this in 2 Peter 1:20–21
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The idea is that Scripture does not depend on one person’s isolated insight—it must align with the overall testimony of God’s Word and the faith of His people through the ages.
God uses teachers and preachers to reaffirm, not reinvent.
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Biblical preaching doesn’t invent; it clarifies and applies.
As one preacher put it, “If it’s new, it’s not true; if it’s true, it’s not new.”
When your heart is anchored in grace, you won’t drift with every new religious fad.
B. Be Nourished, Not Neglected
B. Be Nourished, Not Neglected
“It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats.”
Religious rituals can fill the stomach, but only grace can fill the soul.
Galatians 2:21 says,
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Grace is not just how we began this Christian life, it’s also how we grow.
Many Christians think grace only saves them and then move on to self-effort for growth.
The same grace that saved us is the grace that sanctifies us.
Titus 2:11–12 says,
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Grace teaches us how to live, not just how to be saved.
You didn’t start by grace just to switch to grit.
Depend daily on Christ’s strength, not your own willpower.
The Jews placed confidence in ceremonial foods (“meats”) as if that would make them holy.
Today, Christians can do the same—trusting in routines instead of resting in Christ.
Someone once said, “Religion is man climbing up the ladder to reach God. Grace is God coming down the ladder to reach man.”
Your personal prayer and time in the Word is going to bring the grace of God into your life.
But it can’t be like a checklist but as communion.
Rules may restrain you, but only grace renews you.
When grace governs the heart, it brings lasting strength and peace.
C. Be Satisfied, Not Self-Reliant
C. Be Satisfied, Not Self-Reliant
Verse 10 points to an altar where “they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.”
The old system of sacrifices could never satisfy, but the cross has completed the work.
Romans 5:2 says,
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Grace invites us to feast at a better altar—Christ Himself.
The heart that is established by grace will not sit idle.
It will express that grace through willing, joyful sacrifice.
The world constantly tells people to “believe in yourself,” but the Bible says, “trust in the Lord.”
Jeremiah 17:5 warns,
5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
That includes trusting in ourselves.
II. The Sacrifice of Grace
II. The Sacrifice of Grace
11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.
12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
A. The Pattern of Our Savior
A. The Pattern of Our Savior
Just as the sin offerings were burned outside the camp, Jesus “suffered without the gate.”
He bore our reproach to bring us into God’s favor.
Isaiah 53:3 says He was
3 He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Yet that rejection became our redemption.
Grace always moves us to follow the pattern of our Savior—to go outside the comfort zone for the sake of others.
Following Jesus means leaving comfort for conviction.
Jesus didn’t stay in the temple courts—He went to the cross.
The call to discipleship always involves leaving something behind.
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
The cross was not jewelry; it was a journey—a road of surrender.
Ask, “What comfort am I clinging to that keeps me from full obedience to Christ?”
B. The Partnership of His Sufferings
B. The Partnership of His Sufferings
Verse 13 calls us to “go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.”
Following Christ means sharing in both His cross and His cause.
The verse calls us not just to admire Jesus’ sacrifice but to “go forth unto Him.”
Christianity is not a spectator faith—it’s participatory.
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
I want to encourage you to see suffering for Christ not as a sign of failure but as proof of fellowship.
We can’t walk with Christ without walking where He walked.
Identify more with Christ than with comfort.
“Go forth unto Him” means stepping outside the world’s approval to walk in His presence.
The world rejected Jesus—so the more we look like Him, the more out of place we’ll feel here.
2 Timothy 3:12 – “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
Don’t fear being different but rather rejoice in being distinct.
(A.W. Tozer): “To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men.”
C. The Perspective of the Pilgrim
C. The Perspective of the Pilgrim
Vs 14 - “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.”
The grace of God reminds us that this world is temporary and heaven is home.
This world is temporary, but heaven is eternal.
The writer reminds us that there is no lasting city here.
Everything on earth is passing away—its pleasures, possessions, and positions.
1 John 2:17 says,
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Be sure to hold loosely to the temporary so that you can cling tightly to the eternal.
Remember Abraham, who “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10).
The pilgrim mindset frees the believer from disappointment—when we remember this world isn’t home, we stop expecting it to feel like home.
Live with an eternal orientation.
The pilgrim perspective means every decision—money, time, relationships, priorities—is filtered through eternity.
Matthew 6:19–20 commands,
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
What would you do differently today if you truly believed eternity begins tomorrow?
Start a “Heaven Ledger” journal—each week, record one act of service or sacrifice done purely for eternity’s sake.
It’s important to understand that grace gives the pilgrim purpose, not passivity.
Some Christians misunderstand heavenly-mindedness as detachment from the world.
But grace doesn’t pull us away from people—it propels us toward them with compassion and urgency.
Titus 2:13–14 connects looking for the blessed hope with zeal for good works.
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Waiting for heaven should make us work harder for souls, not withdraw from the world.
A missionary once said, “I am immortal until my work for God is done.”
That’s the pilgrim’s perspective—focused, fearless, and faithful.
The more we see what grace has done for us, the more we want to offer ourselves for Him.
Grace received becomes grace released.
III. The Service of Grace
III. The Service of Grace
15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
When you’ve truly tasted grace, gratitude becomes your native language.
You can’t help but respond with worship.
That’s why the writer says, ‘By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.’
So we see first service of Grace we give is…
A. Our Praise to God
A. Our Praise to God
vs. 15 - “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.”
When a heart is truly established by grace, it can’t help but express that grace in worship.
This means our praise doesn’t depend on how we feel, but on who He is.
Praise isn’t a performance; it’s a response.
It’s what naturally comes out when grace has taken root in the heart.
Sometimes that praise will be easy — when blessings overflow, when prayers are answered.
But sometimes, it’s a sacrifice.
Sometimes we lift our voices through tears.
Sometimes we raise our hands when our hearts are heavy.
And that’s the praise God values most — the kind that costs us something.
We praise by Him — not because we’re worthy, but because Jesus is.
He makes our praise acceptable.
Our worship doesn’t climb up to heaven because of our talent, it rises because of His triumph.
And notice that word — “continually.”
Not just on Sunday mornings.
Not just when the choir sings our favorite song.
But every day — in the car, at work, in the hospital, at the kitchen sink.
When the heart is full of grace, praise becomes its natural language.
The writer calls it “the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.”
That’s what God wants from us — grateful hearts that overflow in thanksgiving.
Not complaints, not comparisons — just thankfulness.
When you start your day with gratitude, it changes everything.
Complaining turns to contentment.
Fear turns to faith.
And worry turns to worship.
So, church, let’s be a people who praise God not just for what He’s done, but for who He is.
Let’s offer Him the sacrifice of praise — in the good times, in the hard times, and all the time.
Because a heart established by grace will always express that grace in gratitude.
B. Our Profession Before Men
B. Our Profession Before Men
Notice that the writer calls it “the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.”
That means our praise isn’t meant to stay private — it’s meant to be heard.
If grace has filled your heart, it ought to flavor your speech.
Our world doesn’t need more religious talk — it needs grateful testimony.
Every time we speak of God’s goodness at work, at school, or around the table, we’re professing His name.
Let’s not be silent saints in a noisy world.
When others complain, let’s give thanks.
When others curse, let’s bless.
And when others doubt, let’s declare — “God’s been good to me.”
A heart established by grace doesn’t just sing on Sunday — it speaks for Christ every day.
C. Our Practice Toward Others
C. Our Practice Toward Others
The writer says, “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
In other words, real worship doesn’t stop with our lips — it shows up in our lives.
If grace has truly filled our hearts, it will open our hands.
We honor God not only by what we say, but by how we serve.
Doing good and sharing what we have are love offerings that please the Lord just as much as a song of praise.
When we help the hurting, when we give to those in need, when we serve quietly for God’s glory — that’s grace in action.
That’s worship that walks.
So let’s not forget — being established by grace means expressing that grace not just upward in praise, or outward in testimony, but inwardly and daily through love and service.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Grace begins at the altar of salvation and continues in the altar of service.
When the heart is established by grace, it can’t help but express that grace.
It comes out in our praise to God, our profession before men, and our practice toward others.
Grace doesn’t just change what we believe — it changes how we live.
It gives us a song to sing, a story to share, and a service to give.
So let’s go out this week as people established by grace and expressing it in sacrifice — praising Him continually, speaking of Him boldly, and showing His love freely.
Because a heart grounded in grace will always overflow in gratitude.
F.B. Meyer once wrote, “Where grace reigns, self dies.”
If your heart has been strengthened by His grace, your life will overflow with His goodness.
The world will see in you not a rule-keeper, but a grace-giver.
Let us go forth, then, bearing His reproach, offering continual praise, and living as people established by grace and expressing it through sacrifice.
