Sermon Tone Analysis
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It’s Easter.
You might likely expect me to read a passage today from the gospels that tells the story of Christ’s resurrection.
But since as a church we have been going through the book of Hebrews all during the season of Lent, I am going to end that series today with a passage that comes from the end of Hebrews.
And, yes, it also mentions the resurrection of Jesus.
What I like about this passage from Hebrews is that it frames the resurrection of Jesus as something which has an immediate, right-now effect on our lives.
For those of you who have been spending the last 40 days of lent reading through the entire book of Hebrews with us, I hope this has been an insightful journey.
Hebrews is one of those books in the Bible from which we may be very familiar with a verse or a chapter here-and-there, but not many people have ever read it through completely.
And we have seen over the weeks that a majority of Hebrews deals with this idea that Jesus has now become our great high priest mediating and interceding for us before the heavenly Father.
It is no wonder, then, that much emphasis lands on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to provide atonement for the sins of God’s people.
Easter takes us one step past atonement for sin and points us to what happens next because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross
the resurrection of Jesus is a first fruits — Jesus was the first resurrection which now places all of God’s creation on a trajectory of resurrection
But today is Easter.
This is resurrection day.
This is a day which focuses our attention on new life.
In other words, Easter takes us one step past atonement for sin (which happened on the cross a few days back on Good Friday).
This day points us to what happens next because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross.
What happens in resurrection?
What was considered dead is now brought back to life.
Jesus was considered dead after he hung on the cross, but death could not hold Jesus in the grave; he was brought back from death.
The apostle Paul calls the resurrection of Jesus a first fruits.
Meaning, Jesus was the first resurrection which now places all of God’s creation on a trajectory of resurrection.
Resurrection is the outcome of the atonement which Jesus provided on the cross.
Even though the book of Hebrews focuses mostly on that atonement, the author of Hebrews does not leave out or ignore this resurrection result.
These closing words in the final chapter point us in the direction of resurrection.
I want us to see how the author of Hebrews frames this mention of resurrection in a way that applies it to us—the ones who read these words today.
It is curious that Hebrews 13:20 is the only place in Hebrews that explicitly talks about the resurrection of Jesus.
Sure, we can logically assume it all throughout the book—how else could Jesus be the one who is eternally interceding for us before the heavenly Father unless he rose from the dead?
But only in this one verse at the end is the resurrection of Jesus specifically mentioned.
I think that makes the context surrounding this single mention of resurrection rather important; we should be paying attention to what Hebrews tells us here about resurrection.
Let’s look at these few short verses and note a few features.
And then let’s consider what this means for people like us today who come into this place and celebrate Easter.
Here is the framework we will use that comes in these verses.
There are two offerings, and there are two responses.
Two Offerings
There is quite a bit if attention in Hebrews given to the sacrifices that the priests offered up to God on behalf of the people.
These sacrificial offerings cover two categories which come out of the instructions back in the book of Leviticus in the Old Testament.
There are sin offerings, and there are thank offerings.
The thank offering sometimes go by a few different names: peace offering, or praise offering.
Here is the way those offerings are separate.
sin offering — sacrifice of atonement
The sin offering was a sacrifice given by the priest to make atonement for the sin of the people.
We have spent a considerable amount of time in Hebrews talking about that already.
It is this sin offering which Hebrews tells us has now been given once and for all by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
There is no longer a need to bring sin offerings before the Lord—that sacrifice is now complete in the new covenant because of Jesus.
thank offering — sacrifice of praise
sin offering is no longer required because of Jesus — but what the thank offering?
But let’s talk about that other offering—the thank offering.
This was a separate sacrifice that the priest would offer up to God on behalf of the people.
The thank offering was—as the name implies—a response of gratitude to God on account of forgiveness received from God. Hebrews tells us that the sin offering is no longer required because of Jesus.
But what this other offering?
What about sacrifices for the thank offering?
Hebrews has so far said nothing about that—until here in Hebrews 13:15.
It is this thank offering that is being referred to here as a sacrifice of praise.
still a place among the people of God to give the thank offering, because we are still people who respond to God with gratitude on account of forgiveness received from God
There is still a place among the people of God to give the thank offering, because we are still people who respond to God with gratitude on account of forgiveness received from God.
And this makes sense; this is nothing new or surprising to us.
The church has an opportunity every week for people to give an offering.
And we have always said that the offering we take is an expression of gratitude to God for the blessings we have received from God.
This has been a regular part of our church habit for generations.
no longer priests who occasionally offer this sacrifice to God — now it is the people of God who offer this sacrifice, not occasionally but continually
At the same time, there is something different.
The offerings of the Old Testament were sacrifices of crops and animals offered up by the priests on behalf of the people.
But now Hebrews tells us it is no longer priests who occasionally offer this sacrifice to God.
Now it is us—the people of God—who offer this sacrifice, not occasionally but continually.
How is it, then, that we as people of God live in ways that continually offer up to God sacrifices of praise?
Look at the two responses mentioned right here in Hebrews.
Two Responses
Verses 15 & 16 tell us what these two responses are.
The first is this: “the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”
And the second is this: “to do good and to share with others.”
Our response has something to do with what we say, and with what we do—it is in our words, and it is in our actions.
The fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
This might need a little explanation.
It is not as though if I just walked around all day audibly saying the name of Jesus out loud, that this somehow qualifies as continually offering a sacrifice of praise by openly professing his name.
Rather, let me be picky about two words in particular: fruit, and name.
Fruit is often used in the Bible as a metaphor what is produced.
Just as crops produce a fruit, so we—the Bible says—also produce fruit.
Jesus says in Matthew 7
what we say — “fruit of lips that openly profess his name”
thankful words of gratitude produce gratitude and thanksgiving in others, angry words of bitterness produce bitterness and anger in others
sacrifice of praise offered to God takes shape in words which produce the fruit of gratitude and thanksgiving
The fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
Our words produce fruit.
The words that we say are part of the sacrifice of praise we offer up to God.
Do your words produce good fruit which echo the thanksgiving and gratitude of a heart redeemed by God?
Or do your words produce bad fruit which echo a heart of bitterness.
Not to be overly moralistic about it, but maybe we can think of it this way; thankful words of gratitude produce gratitude and thanksgiving in others, angry words of bitterness produce bitterness and anger in others.
What kind of fruit is produced in what you say to others?
Is it bitter fruit?
Or is it the fruit of gratitude?
Our sacrifice of praise offered to God takes shape in words which produce the fruit of gratitude and thanksgiving.
professing the name of Jesus is using words which also affirm the meaning of Jesus’ name
And what we profess with our lips is the name of Jesus.
Let’s remember something very important about names.
Remember that in the Bible, names have meaning, and the meaning of names tell us something about the person who has the name.
And so, to profess the name of Jesus is more than just saying his name.
It is more than just telling other people that you are a Christian and that you believe in God.
Professing the name of Jesus is using words which also affirm the meaning of Jesus’ name.
The name Jesus literally means ‘savior.’
Do the words that I say affirm that my life is secure in Jesus?
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