Confidence to Enter Hebrews 10:19-25

-Our confidence in Christ shapes how we live as His people

John McKay, of the NFL, tells a story illustrating the supreme confidence of University of Alabama football coach Bear Bryant: "We were out shooting ducks, and finally, after about three hours, here comes one lonely duck. The Bear fires. And that duck is still flying today. But Bear watched the duck flap away, looked at me and said, 'John, you are witnessing a genuine miracle. There flies a dead duck!'" 

I. We Have Reasons for Confidence vv. 19-21

The author of Hebrews really starts bringing things to a conclusion point here. For the last couple of chapters, he has built a case for us: Jesus is the substance of all of the Old Testament foreshadowing

We have confidence to enter God’s presence because of Him! But why?

He is our sacrifice:

He has made atonement on our behalf that is an eternal and perfect atonement

Our way to the Father is not on the basis of the blood of an animal that died for us

It is new: It is on the basis of the blood of Jesus whose sacrifice has an eternal value

It is living: It isn’t founded on something that is dead, but on someone who is alive

He is our great priest:

He relates to us with perfect sympathy. He understands our weakness and our struggle and experienced it Himself

Yet, He was without sin and He has the ear of the Father as someone who is in His presence. He can intercede with a full expectation of acceptance!

Confidence that comes from certainty is central to the Christian faith

We have a hope that is not a “conditional” hope

Our hope is founded on Christ

Because you can be confident in the character of Jesus, you can be confident in the care of God

John 14:1

[1] “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. (ESV)

Knowing the power of the Father gives me confidence in His capability; knowing the character of the Son gives me confidence in His willingness.

The American painter, John Sargent, once painted a panel of roses that was highly praised by critics. It was a small picture, but it approached perfection. Although offered a high price for it on many occasions, Sargent refused to sell it. He considered it his best work and was very proud of it. Whenever he was deeply discouraged and doubtful of his abilities as an artist, he would look at it and remind himself, "I painted that." Then his confidence and ability would come back to him.  We find our confidence when we consider what God did!

II. Confidence Shapes Our Faith vv. 22-25

Critically though, we see that this confidence should motivate us to action:

How do we live in light of our confidence in Christ?

We draw near

The first component that we see here is our relationship to God

We are able to “draw near” to God with a confidence: He will draw near to us

We are not rejected and we do not have to come to Him filled with shame and guilt

Our hearts are sprinkled clean

Are consciences are no longer marred by evil

Our bodies are cleansed of unrighteousness

We are completely righteous before God and we get to come to Him as one of His people!

We hold fast

Next, we see an instruction to hold fast to our confession of hope

What is this confession of hope? It is the Gospel of Jesus

Our faith is not a concept, but He is a person!

There are a thousand difficulties and reasons for doubt, but He is faithful

We share life

Finally, we see a third commendation: stir each other up

That may seem like a strange command, but it is for a good reason

We stir each other to love and good works; this is an increase in godly behavior

We do this in two ways:

We do not neglect gathering together

Less than we should fear dishonoring God in our assembly, we should fear the impact on ourselves and others

We are unlikely to stir others or to be stirred ourselves unless we are sharing life with other believers

We do this by encouragement; nobody that you know is suffering from too much encouragement!

We must do this with increasing fervency, because the Day is drawing near

We don’t need less love and good works, we need more

We don’t need less fellowship, we need more

We don’t need less encouragement, we need more

You can face the Day with confidence!

Frank Lloyd Wright is among the most innovative architects this county ever produced. But his fame wasn't limited to the United States. In 1919, Japan asked Wright to design a hotel for Tokyo that would be capable of surviving an earthquake. When the architect visited Japan to see where the Imperial Hotel was to be built, he was appalled to find only about eight feet of earth on the site. Beneath that was 60 feet of soft mud that slipped and shook like jelly. Every test hole he dug filled up immediately with water. A lesser man probably would have given up right there. But not Frank Lloyd Wright. Since the hotel was going to rest on fluid ground, Wright decided to build it like a ship. Instead of trying to keep the structure from moving during a quake, he incorporated features that would allow the hotel to ride out the shock without damage. Supports were sunk into the soft mud, and sections of the foundation were cantilevered from the supports. The rooms were built in sections like a train and hinged together. Water pipes and electric lines, usually the first to shear off in an earthquake, were hung in vertical shafts where they could sway freely if necessary. Wright knew that the major cause of destruction after an earthquake was fire, because water lines are apt to be broken in the ground and there is no way to put the fire out. So he insisted on a large outdoor pool in the courtyard of his hotel, "just in case."

On September 1, 1923, Tokyo had the greatest earthquake in its history. This was actually the day that the hotel opened! There were fires all over the city, and 140,000 people died. Back in the U.S., news reports were slow coming in. One newspaper wanted to print the story that the Imperial Hotel had been destroyed, as rumor had it. But when a reporter called Frank Lloyd Wright, he said that they could print the story if they wished, but they would only have to retract it later. He knew the hotel would not collapse.

Shortly afterward, Wright got a telegram from Japan. The Imperial Hotel was completely undamaged. Not only that -- it had provided a home for hundreds of people. And when fires that raged all around the hotel threatened to spread, bucket brigades kept the structure wetted down with water from the hotel's pool. The Imperial Hotel isn't there anymore. It was finally torn down in the 1960s to be replaced by a more modern structure.