A New and Living Way

Common English Bible Chapter 10

11 Every priest stands every day serving and offering the same sacrifices over and over, sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right side of God. 13 Since then, he’s waiting until his enemies are made into a footstool for his feet, 14 because he perfected the people who are being made holy with one offering for all time.

15 The Holy Spirit affirms this when saying,

16 This is the covenant

that I will make with them.

After these days, says the Lord,

I will place my laws in their hearts

and write them on their minds.

17 And I won’t remember their sins

and their lawless behavior anymore.

18 When there is forgiveness for these things, there is no longer an offering for sin.

Second summary of the message

19 Brothers and sisters, we have confidence that we can enter the holy of holies by means of Jesus’ blood, 20 through a new and living way that he opened up for us through the curtain, which is his body, 21 and we have a great high priest over God’s house.

22 Therefore, let’s draw near with a genuine heart with the certainty that our faith gives us, since our hearts are sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies are washed with pure water.

23 Let’s hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, because the one who made the promises is reliable.

24 And let us consider each other carefully for the purpose of sparking love and good deeds. 25 Don’t stop meeting together with other believers, which some people have gotten into the habit of doing. Instead, encourage each other, especially as you see the day drawing near.

Introduction- Conviction

This week we went to a Presbytery meeting.

IN PERSON!

Which is super handy for me on a bunch of levels:

1) I was the tech guy in charge of helping keep the Zoom gremlins away during our Presbytery meetings this past year, and let me tell you just how much I hate those little Zoom gremlins.

2) I’m still (relatively) new to this Presbytery, so it’s really good for me to get out and get to see all the churches that we are partnered with in ministry.

At this particular church, I noticed as I was walking upstairs a sign that I had seen before in other places.

The sign read “If you were on trial as a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict?”

Essentially, if you didn’t tell me anything, but rather just showed me the life that you were living, would I know that you were a follower of Christ?

St. Francis often gets quoted as saying “Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary use words.”

I suppose this “enough evidence to convict” sign is like the Nancy Grace version of that idea.

But it all got my head thinking,

What kind of evidence would convict a person of being a Christian?

What are the markers of a truly Christian lifestyle?

How would anyone know that I was a Christian if I wasn’t allowed to say anything, which is a particularly hard thing to imagine for a preacher!

Luckily, our lectionary texts points us in the right direction this week.

Bible Breakdown

The What

The author of Hebrews starts with a recap of what we talked about last week.

That while the early days of the Jewish religion relied on the sacrifices of animals to cover sin,

Those sacrifices stood as an atonement, making the Jewish people at one with their God.

Those sacrifices only happened once a year, in the center of the Jewish temple.

But now!

Jesus stands in as our great priest.

Jesus did not sacrifice animals, but instead sacrificed himself for our benefit.

And this isn’t something that needs to be done again and again and again, it’s something that is done once and for all.

Impacts of Christ’s work

This is essentially the good news of our Gospel.

Every week when we gather here we have a time of confession, of recognizing that our sins are still nagging at us.

And every week it is one of my most profound joys to be able to speak over us and say “Hear this good news and give thanks: In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!”

Sin is no longer able to keep us separated from God!

Sin is no longer able to keep us locked in patters of guilt and despair and fear.

Sin has no power any more, because Christ’s power over it is absolute.

You don’t have to wonder any more where you stand with God.

When sin is dealt with by Christ, when our doubts and suspicions about ourselves are taken care of, when we don’t have to repeatedly atone for our misdeeds,

Then all that’s left is love.

All that’s left is love.

All that’s left is love.

We ended last week with me encouraging us to pray that over and over again, to listen to what God has to say about you.

And I’ve been praying right along with us all week last week.

I hope that you were able to hear from God.

I hope that you heard what God has wanted to say to you from the beginning.

That you are a beloved son or beloved daughter.

That you are welcomed in God’s embrace.

And that all that God has for you is love, and acceptance and forgiveness, and grace.

I hope and pray that you’ve heard that.

So the author of Hebrews starts this passage today with the “what” of the Gospel.

You have sin.

Sin separates us from God.

Jesus cleanses us from our sin.

All that’s left is love.

But then the author takes a neat turn toward the “so what” of this reality.

If you believe all of that is true, then what are you going to do with it?

The author suggests that it leads to a “new and living way,” and even helps us out with five features of the New and Living way that we ought to pay attention to.

The New and Living Way: Five Features

Confidence

I mentioned this fun fact last week, but it bears repeating because it’s so bizarre!

The priest who would offer the sacrifices for the people of Isreal would do so in the part of the Temple called the Holy of Holies.

This is where they believed that God’s presence was.

And God’s presence was so overwhelming, that it was beyond possible to them that going in you might die on the spot.

So these priests would tie a rope to each other, so that in case their brother dropped dead in the holy of holies from offering the sacrifices, that their friends could pull him back out.

I don’t know what the modern day pastoral equivalent is, maybe taking the middle school youth group on a mission trip might require a rope for one of you to pull me back out...

But all of that makes the opening line of this section of the text so revolutionary.

“We have confidence that we can enter the holy of holies by means of Jesus’ blood.”

Say what!?

We can walk in to that place where they tie ropes around each other “just in case?”

How does one get that confidence?

I have a friend from college who used to pride himself on being able to get away with what mere mortals couldn’t dream of.

He more than once stole a shopping cart right in front of the store security.

He had a collection of old and discarded road signs.

He frequently got backstage and some of the shows that we went to.

And when I asked him how he was able to do this, he said that it’s easy.

All you have to do is look and act like you belong there.

The reason the holy of holies is so scary to the priests of Isreal is because that’s where the presence of God is.

When sin is an issue, there is some real doubt about whether or not you belong there.

Because of Jesus’ work on the cross, hear me on this friends, you absolutely belong in the presence of God.

That is where you are most at home.

That is where you are most free to be yourself.

That is where you are most loved and accepted.

That is where you belong.

And so the marker of a new and living way is someone who is confident in that reality.

A marker of the new and living way is someone who isn’t so easily swayed by others regarding their standing with God.

Jesus tells us by the way in our first reading today that some people are going to try.

There are going to be people that will show up and tell us that what we’re doing is crazy, and that God’s not really happy with us.

Don’t listen!

When it comes to the presence of God, know my friends, have certainty with it, that you belong there.

Hope

I think it’s no surprise that I like super hero movies.

But I also have a kind of sick obsession with really bad superhero movies.

You know, the kind where you can see what’s coming a mile away.

One of my favorite things to do to make friends laugh in the movie theater is to say “roll credits” at a point just before the hero is obviously going to come in and save the day.

Every superhero movie has this, right?

The damsel in distress is captured,

The kryptonite is taking hold.

The city has turned against our hero.

All is lost.

“Roll credits!”

And what makes my friends laugh is not because I’m particularly witty!

It’s because they know there’s more story to go.

The author of Hebrews is kind of poking at this too.

It is true, Jesus has covered us, and taken care of our sin problem.

And it is also true that we…still sin.

It is also true that in spite of my best efforts, I keep falling prey to sin.

In spite of my knowing that Jesus has looked after me, I’m looking at a world that is broken.

In spite of it all, things can look pretty dark sometimes.

The author of Hebrews is saying “Don’t you DARE say ‘roll credits’ here.

Let’s hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, because the one who made the promises is reliable.

There is much more story to come.

There is a hero on the way to save us from ourselves.

There is so much good that can come from the brokenness of this world.

Just hold on to hope.

Just hold on to hope.

Just hold on to hope.

Community

Now apparently, back then, some people were looking at this situation with a lens of rugged individualism.

I am the one who sins.

I am the one who wants to get closer to God.

I am the one who Jesus saved.

So if I have a personal relationship with Jesus, I’m all set.

Back then.

Actually, if you read the scriptures, you will never see the phrase “personal relationship” with Jesus.

There are lots of places where we can see that Jesus wants to have a relationship with us as individuals.

But the reality is Jesus is all about the communal aspect of faith.

That sacrifice on the cross wasn’t just for Jason Freyer, it was for the whole world.

That work doesn’t mean that Jason Freyer is made right with God, its for everyone.

That work doesn’t mean that I get to sit back and eat Cheetos while I’m waiting for Christ to come again.

Verse 25 says “Don’t stop meeting together with other believers.”

Do we even need to hear these words on the back end of our lockdowns and quarantines?

Of course we want to meet together with other believers.

Not just in this room, but throughout the week in our every day lives.

While there are for sure personal elements to our faith, this is a faith that is communal.

We are in this together.

I need you as much if not more than you need me!

And it turns out we need each other for a pretty specific task.

Provoking

The author of Hebrews says that we are supposed to get together “for the purpose of sparking love and good deeds.”

Now the Greek word here is paroxysmos.

And when I was trying to get at exactly what it was we were talking about, this video clip of a British plumber turned inventor turned mad scientist came to mind...

(Play Colin Furze Video- 1:00)

But come on, the truth is that like a teenager waking up in the morning, I’m not always at the ready for love and good deeds.

I’d much rather “sleep in” with my own selfishness.

So I need a community that is willing to come alongside me and spark this love and these good deeds in me.

I need a community that will inspire me with the actions and love of others, to be a positive example in my life.

And from time to time, I need a community that will spark or provoke me, to challenge me, to call me out when I’m a bit off, to help me to the right path.

Maybe not quite as aggressively as an ejector bed, but you know, from time to time I’m going to need some provoking!

Urgency

The author ends with a kind of an interesting note.

We are to live this new and living way with a sense of urgency behind us.

“Encourage each other, especially as you see the day is drawing near.”

How would we know that the day is drawing near? Jesus tells us!

There will be wars and rumors of wars.

There will be nations and kingdoms who will fight against each other.

There will be factions rising up against each other, maybe even in their own nations.

There will be famine and suffering and destruction.

So…maybe we’re getting close?

I think the urgency the author is speaking about here has less to do with the end of the world though, and more to do with pushing back against the darkness.

We have to live with a sense of urgency, because our brothers and sisters are suffering.

We have to live with a sense of urgency, because the tension and the discourse in our country has gotten way, way, WAY out of control.

We have to live with a sense of urgency, because there are quite simply far too many folks dying because of the church’s inaction.

It’s not enough for us to lay back and wait for Christ to come and set things right.

We’re being invited to make things right today, right here, right now.

Application- Card?

I’ve set some cards out there in the pews with you all.

And to wrap up today, my encouragement would be to spend some time wondering what area of the New and Living Way needs your attention?

Confidence

Do you need to remind yourself because of Christ’s sacrifice that you actually do belong in God’s presence, that you were meant to be there, that you were home there?

Maybe tape this card with an affirmation on your bathroom mirror to see in the morning.

Hope

Do you need to remind yourself that this story is far far far from over? That we have hope for a promised future?

Maybe fold this card like a little book, just to set in your wallet to remind you that we’re a good ways away from rolling the credits?

Community

Do you need to reengage with the community of believers after a long absence?

Maybe write down the name and number of someone you need to reconnect with, and make plans to do that this week?

Provoking

Do you need to be provoked, or sparked in the ways of love and good deeds?

Maybe wrap this card around your bank card or your credit card, as we go through the Christmas shopping season, to remind ourselves that there are plenty to whom we ought to give, rather than just receive.

Urgency

Or maybe you need to be urgent in all of this, maybe you’re feeling the call to action to get out and do more for our community.

Maybe you ought to write a note about how you’d like to see the world change, and leave this card next to your alarm clock for the next couple of weeks.

Wherever you feel the need to grow, remember this:

Jesus Christ loves you, sacrificed for you, and has made everything all right between you and God.

I hope coming out of that you will continue to join us on a New and Living Way.