Therefore Let Us Go to Him

Hebrews 13:7–16 “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.

For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

Other Passages: John 19:16-17; Heb 12:2; Luke 6:22-23; Jn 9:22; Jn 12:42; Rm 10:9-10; Mt 10:32; 1 Tim 6:12

Words to listen for: Appreciation, Attitude, Action

Introduction

Imagine for a moment the ancient Israelite camp in the wilderness—tents arranged in perfect order around the tabernacle, the center of God's presence. Inside those boundaries, everything felt secure: the priests performed their rituals, the people offered sacrifices, and life followed the familiar rhythms of the old covenant. But outside the camp? That was the place of refuse, where the bodies of sin offerings were burned after the blood had been sprinkled—defiled ground, far from comfort, marked by rejection and shame.

Yet that's exactly where the ultimate sacrifice took place. Not in the holy sanctuary, but outside the gate, on a hill called Golgotha. Jesus, our great High Priest and perfect Lamb, suffered outside—bearing the full weight of reproach, scorn, and separation—so that through His blood, we could be sanctified, made holy, and brought into an intimacy with God that no old ceremony could ever provide.

The writer of Hebrews doesn't leave us watching that scene from a distance. He turns to us with a bold, urgent invitation: "Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured." (Hebrews 13:13)

Today, in a world that prizes comfort, conformity, and self-protection, Jesus stands outside—calling us to join Him there.

Our passage for this evening contains three key responses the author longs to see in us: Appreciation for our position of incredible privilege in Christ, Attitude of willingly pressing into discomfort to be with Him, and Action in profession (speaking up for Jesus) and philanthropy (doing good and sharing).

I. Appreciation: Position of Privilege (v. 7-10)

I get this from Hebrews 13:10 “We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.” This is the privilege which the author of Hebrews has been emphasizing throughout the entire letter. The New Covenant in Jesus’ blood offers incomparable privilege above what the Old Covenant ceremonies could provide. Adherence to the now defunct Old Covenant ceremonies rather than combining with the New Covenant and giving you extra credit, actually excludes you from the New Covenant.

The New Covenant provides the privilege of an intimacy beyond what the high priests had. Here the author speaks of that as an altar from which the Old Covenant priests are excluded. In the New Covenant we all become priests who eat from the heavenly altar because we have access through Jesus into heaven.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s go back and trace the author’s thought in our passage.

Hebrews 13:7 “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” He starts by telling his audience to remember their leaders who spoke to them the Word of God.

This is most likely a reference to leaders who are no longer alive. The call to “remember” seems to imply they are gone in some way. We see at contrast here to verse 17 that he tells them to obey their leaders. Also, the word “outcome” in the Greek is more literally “exit” or “departure.” The author is calling his audience to consider their leaders who perhaps founded the community of faith through preaching and teaching God’s Word and the legacy of faith they have left behind.

The author doesn’t specify whether these leaders were killed for their faith, his point is simply that they were an example of faith all their lives. He tells his audience to do three things: remember, consider, and imitate. Remember them, who they were and what they did for you. Consider, think carefully about how they lived their lives to the end. Then, put it into practice, do what you saw them do, imitate their faith.

In order to help them do this he reminds them that the Jesus whom their leaders trusted is the same one with them now. Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Their leaders may have passed on to glory who first taught them the Word of God, but the Jesus whom they believed in has not changed. He hasn’t gone anywhere. In fact, he is the same for us today. We may not know the leaders who are being referenced in this letter, but we can share their faith in our savior who is the same yesterday for them, today for us, and forever for those who come after us.

In a world of constant change, a world where we may suffer insults and injury, where the future is uncertain, we have someone who is always constant.

But one of the reasons to remember that Jesus is the same, is so that you will not be led astray by enticing suggestions of new teachings. Hebrews 13:9 “Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.”

Jesus has not changed, does not change, and will not change. So don’t get confused by new fangled teachings that propose a brand new understanding of salvation, or faith, or Jesus himself. In particular for this audience, the author has in mind the temptation to try to go back and add in Old Testament ceremonies and sacrifices to their faith in Jesus. But in that case they would not be trusting Christ alone, but would be trusting in the temporary ceremonies which are defunct now that Christ has come.

Faith needs to be strengthened by grace, by a firm confidence in an unchangeably all-sufficient savior. The ceremonies aren’t benefitting the current practitioners, they have instead become obstacles to true faith.

It is unlikely that many of you are tempted to try to return to practicing the Jewish worship ceremonies and sacrifices. But you may still be tempted to ground your faith more in your practices than the grace of your Savior. If you’ve been at this church very long at all, you’ve likely heard the term “the means of grace.” This is a way to speak about the things through which God often works in our lives to make us more mature in faith. The three big categories are the Word, Sacraments, and Prayer. God’s Word, when read, studied, sung, and heard is used by the Holy Spirit to convict us about sin, encourage us to believe God, provide wisdom and insight about God, ourselves, and others. The sacraments of Baptism and The Lord’s Supper are used by God’s Spirit to strengthen our faith by physically demonstrating spiritual realities. Prayer is our communion with God and by engaging in it we are changed and shaped into conformity with Christ. Worship on the Lord’s Day is important for shaping us as it is here that we experience means of grace like preaching of God’s Word and the sacraments which are unavailable elsewhere.

Yet, as with all good things, even things as holy as Bible reading and prayer can become an object of our trust, rather than a means to anchor our trust in God. It is really a form of self-trust since we’re trusting in our performance of certain practices rather than the one they all point to. The pharisees are exhibit A of people who trusted in their own prayers rather than in the God they were praying to. So we all need to hear this warning that “it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefitted those devoted to them.”

This then leads to the author’s punchline under this first point. Hebrews 13:10 “We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.” He reminds his readers of their incomparable privilege. The author is using priestly imagery which he comes back to repeatedly in this passage.

The priests in the tabernacle were given the right to eat certain parts of certain sacrifices. After God’s portion was set aside and burned up, the priest could either eat it right there or send it home for his family. This was actually one of the way the priests and their families were provided for. The author of Hebrews is making a reference to this practice, and then inverting it. He’s saying that members of the New Covenant, those who are in Christ, have the privilege of eating from the heavenly altar, while the priests who remain (or go back) to serve in the defunct tabernacle are excluded.

This literally flips the previous situation on its head. Before it was the priests in the tabernacle who alone were allowed to eat from the altar, while the ordinary Israelites were excluded from eating from the altar. Now it is the priests of the tabernacle who are excluded while the “ordinary” believers are all given the privilege of eating from the altar.

It is this privilege that the author wants his readers to have an appreciation for so that they will realize there is nothing they could return to that would be better than what they already have. In Jesus they already have the highest privilege. It is only through Jesus’ own priestly ministry that we enjoy the privileges of priesthood as believers. So the author now turns to speak of Christ’s priesthood.

II. Attitude: Press into Pain (v. 11-14)

Continuing with the priestly practices the author mentions another aspect the sacrificial practice. Hebrews 13:11 “For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.” The author is preparing to draw a comparison between the high priest in the tabernacle and Jesus, so he sets the up the parallel by explaining the practice on the Day of Atonement. The high priest would take the sin offering and burn it outside the camp.

Now look at verse 12. Hebrews 13:12 “So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.” Jesus, as the ultimate, the high priest of all high priests, offered the ultimate sacrifice for sin, which was himself, and he offered it appropriately outside the camp. The author of Hebrews is pointing out the significance of even the place in which Jesus was crucified. We read in John 19:16–17 “So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.” Jesus was crucified outside Jerusalem, just like the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, because he was the ultimate sacrifice that all the other sacrifices has foreshadowed and pointed to. Jesus was actually paying the full price for sin and so it was fitting that in his death he was outside the camp.

But in the next verse the author states a surprising implication. Hebrews 13:13 “Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.” Jesus suffered as an offering for sin outside the camp, therefore you ought to see in this an example to follow.

The author is seeking to stir up an attitude within his audience that instead of shrinking back from discomfort follows Christ’s example and moves towards it. Christ’s sacrifice made a people holy so that they would become like him, following his example of pressing into pain. We saw a similar exhortation in chapter 12. Hebrews 12:2 “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.” Jesus pressed into the pain and shame of the cross and if we are following him we must have the same attitude.

The author wants to develop in his audience an attitude of stepping out towards reproach and his first reason is the example of Jesus. But that’s not his only reason.

He’s got a second reason in verse 13 which is so obvious it can be easy to miss. It says, “Therefore let us go to him outside the camp.” This means that Jesus is not sitting back telling his followers, “You go out there! Let me know when you get back, when you’ve proved you’re worthy of me.”

No, the call to go outside the camp away from safety and comfort, and towards danger and discomfort is a call from Jesus to “come.” Come experience the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. Christ is outside the camp getting rained on by reproaches and he’s calling you to join him. Fellowship with Christ is not found by shrinking from suffering, but by boldly stepping out into discomfort. Christians, are those who don’t cling to comfort, run away from discomfort, but following the example of their savior step into discomfort.

Notice, that the author does not speak of bodily harm, but of the reproach and ridicule that Jesus endured. The author did not tell his audience to seek out death, to jump up on a cross or ask to be killed, but to be willing to boldly step into reproach and ridicule.

In Luke 6:22–23 we see Jesus himself commending this attitude ““Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”

This is counter-cultural. Kids, do you like it when your friends kick you out of their group or don’t invite you to their parties? Do you like being called names? Does it feel good when people talk bad about you behind your back? These things are not enjoyable. Sometimes this happens when you haven’t done anything wrong.

Then the author of Hebrews piles on one more reason to not cling to comfort inside the camp. Hebrews 13:14 “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” This is the reason that Abraham was able to leave his home in Ur and his son Isaac and grandson Jacob were all able to live a nomadic transitory life.

If we remain inside the camp, avoiding uncomfortable conversations, avoiding uncomfortable situations, then we will miss out on many opportunities to participate in what God is doing. The word “seek” is a Greek word that speaks of intense, eager desire. We who are citizens of the city to come are called to express that intense longing through going outside the camp where Jesus is and get hit by the reproach that is hitting him. We can stay in where it safe and comfortable, or we can go out to where Jesus is, where people are maligning him, ridiculing him, and insulting him, and say, “I’m with him.”

The author Hebrews is reminding his readers that the comfortable camp they might be tempted to stay in, is passing away. It is scheduled to be shaken. It is not capable of permanence. It is not part of the unshakeable kingdom and so they should not place all their hope in it. They shouldn’t look to it for comfort and security. They should instead find their comfort in the city which is to come, which transcends earthly comfort zones.

Believers have received an unshakeable kingdom, this city which is to come. While we can do nothing to merit the gift of this kingdom, it is by grace alone based on the work of Christ alone, and received through the instrument of faith alone, we demonstrate our possession of it through our desire for it. Those who are citizens of this city have transformed desires and now, instead of seeking earthly treasures and comfort as ultimate, are eagerly pursuing the eternal city through embracing suffering.

Stepping into discomfort for the sake of witness becomes easier when you see that the kingdom of self that idolizes current comfort has a limited shelf-life, while the kingdom of God never expires. There’s an earthquake coming that will flatten all earthly cities, but there’s a city to come which is unshakeable and lasts forever.

This point involves a negative push to realize the city we’re tempted to stay in of comfort and self-centeredness will crumble, so get out of it. Then we have a positive painting of the possibilities. Consider the cost of staying, but then appreciate the possibilities of going. When we go outside the camp we join Jesus in his work of building that city, we participate in the Holy Spirit’s population plan for his permanent province.

III. Action: Profession and Philanthropy (v. 15-16)

The author of Hebrews picks back up his priest analogy in verses 15 and 16 with the mention of sacrifices. Look at Hebrews 13:15 “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”

We just considered at the kind attitude or mindset that believers ought to have. You and I ought to be willing to press into pain, to go outside the camp to meet Christ where the insults and reproaches land on us.

Now we see the author spelling out two kinds of actions he has in mind: speaking and serving. Speaking is in verse 15.

What started the whole discussion of going outside the camp to meet Christ was the fact that he had gone out there to offer a sacrifice for sin. Then, believers were told to go out and join him despite the cost. Now that we’re out here, the author says that we’re out here to join Christ in his priestly service by offering sacrifices ourselves. But we’re not offering animals. Verse 15 says that we’re offering a “sacrifice of praise.”

At first that sounds like worship, and in a sense it is. But the author specifies further, “the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” The Greek word translated “acknowledge” here ὁμολογέω, and it shows up all over the New Testament. In many places it is translated “confess.” Here are some examples: John 9:22 “(His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.)” John 12:42 “Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;” Romans 10:9–10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Jesus speaks about “acknowledge” in Matthew 10:32 “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,”

1 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made [confessed] the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

The point is, the author of Hebrews is using a word that means more than praising God in a worship service. He qualifies the sacrifice of praise which we normally associate in a worship service, and says that what he means by a “sacrifice of praise to God” is our confession of our faith before others.

The going outside the camp and bearing Christ reproach involves opening our mouths. Speaking about our faith to others. Because if we stayed silent we might avoid being ridiculed or ostracized. The author of Hebrews is saying, don’t stay quiet, because when you speak of your faith, it is a sacrifice of praise to God.

Have you considered your testimony, your witnessing to others, as an act of worship to God? When we stay silent and avoid sharing about our faith we are holding back in our worship to God. God sees and receives our confession as worship.

So, as a priest with the privilege of access to the intimacy of God’s presence through what Jesus has done for you by suffering outside the camp, offer a sacrifice to God by sharing your testimony with others around you even if that exposes you to scorn and insult.

One of the most tempting ways to hide from ridicule is to hide our Christian convictions or avoid sharing our faith. No matter how friendly you are naturally, how good of a people-person you are, sharing the true gospel with sinners will always involve crossing a “pain point.” There will always be a point of un-comfortability. That never goes away. The author of Hebrews knows that for his audience, just like for us today, there is a temptation to shrink back from this pain.

What will others think of me? Will they think I’m a weird Bible-thumper? Will they label me and group me in with all their other bad experience of religious people? Will people at work shun me? Do I risk getting fired for letting others know I’m a Christian?

The author of Hebrews is telling his audience and us lean into those situations of discomfort, the possibility of being ridiculed for our faith, by actually expressing our faith, sharing the gospel, letting others know about our convictions, to whom we owe our lives and allegiance.

So often our attitude towards suffering, especially in countries in which there is such minimal risk to sharing our faith, is to avoid it at all costs, shrink away by minimizing our witness, keeping quiet or downplaying our faith when others ask us about it. The author of Hebrews wants to change that.

Kids, that might mean making difficult choices around your friends to honor your parents when the other kids think you’re weird. It might mean talking to your friends or cousins about Jesus when they don’t know him. It might mean asking your friends to pray or read the Bible with you. Ask yourself, do I care more about whether all my friends think I’m cool or whether I’m honoring Jesus? Jesus says he’s ready to meet you where it might be uncomfortable, where your friends might not think you’re cool anymore, where you might not get invited to certain gatherings. Don’t be discouraged, remember that Jesus is with you right there when people don’t like you for being a Christian.

Before we close we have the second action in Hebrews 13:16 “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” In case you were confused by the word “philanthropy” in this third point, I simply mean it in it’s general sense of doing good to others.

This is most likely connected back what we saw in chapter 10 where the believers had previously, by their kindness to persecuted brothers and sisters, become the recipients of persecution themselves. So they would have been tempted to hold back material support from those who were receiving persecution. But the author reminds them, that such generous support of those who are persecuted which might invite reproach is a beautiful sacrifice of worship to God, much like their testimony was.

For us today is a good reminder of the place that hospitality can play in our witness. The original audience had show hospitality to fellow believers and experienced persecution as a result.

Rosaria Butterfield has written several books on God’s story of bringing her to himself despite her being a most unlikely convert. One of the most powerful tools God used to soften her heart was the hospitality of a minister and his wife. Rosaria was someone definitely “outside the camp.” At the time she was unbelieving feminist literature professor set on discrediting the Bible, living in a homosexual relationship. Yet, this pastor and his wife welcomed her (and her partner) into their home to dinner and discussion with them. Pastor Ken’s friendship with Rosaria took years bear fruit, eventually leading to her conversion.

Don’t underestimate the power of serving others as part of your witness for Christ, and recognize that God considers it a beautiful sacrifice offered ultimately to him.

In conclusion, brothers and sisters, the author of Hebrews calls us to three essential responses as we stand on the unshakable foundation of our unchanging Savior, Jesus Christ.

First, appreciate the extraordinary privilege we have in the New Covenant: we eat from a heavenly altar that Old Covenant priests could never touch. Through Jesus' once-for-all sacrifice, we enjoy direct access to God—intimacy, grace, and security that no ritual or performance can match. Don't trade this supreme gift for anything lesser; let grace alone strengthen your heart.

Second, cultivate an attitude of pressing into pain rather than clinging to comfort. Jesus suffered outside the gate, bearing reproach to sanctify us. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured (Hebrews 13:13). This isn't a call to seek suffering for its own sake, but to join Jesus where he is—willing to face ridicule, exclusion, or scorn for his name's sake. Here we have no lasting city, but we eagerly seek the one to come. Don't shrink back into safety; step out toward him, finding true fellowship in shared reproach and the promise of an eternal, unshakeable home.

Finally, respond with concrete action: continually offer the sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess and acknowledge his name, even when it costs you social comfort. Speak boldly of Christ. And don't neglect doing good and sharing what you have—through generosity, hospitality, and service to others, especially those who suffer for the faith. These too are pleasing sacrifices to God.

So go to him—outside the camp. Bear his reproach. Confess his name. Serve in love. For in doing so, you honor the same Jesus who was, who is, and who is to come forever. May we live as those who belong to the city that is to come, faithfully following our unchanging Lord until we arrive home. Amen.