God's Faithfulness To Sinful Man

The Barrier

What do you believe are some of the reasons we struggle to embrace the beauty of the relationship that God has called us to enjoy with him?

As we look into the book of Hebrews today, it is important for us to know what this book is about. This is written to a group of Jewish Christians who are apparently facing persecution and great temptation to return back to Judaism. And because of this, the author of Hebrews writes to them of the greatness of Christ that they may realize that He is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament and that they may be encouraged to persevere.

So, as we look in Hebrews, we behold a call to a struggling people to persevere and in the middle of that conflict, God reaches forth His arm to them and invites them into His presence. But these are people with doubts, it doesn’t matter, come near to me. But these are people with temptations! It doesn’t matter, come enjoy me.

When I was 17...

Maybe you’ve struggled with a feeling like that yourself. And with that in mind, I want us to ask the question, “What can give us assurance when we deal with such an issue?”

Now, before we dive into the selected text for today, we need to get a little bit of the background in our minds

The Background

In verses 1-4 we learn that the Old Testament sacrifices could never provide the redemption and freedom of conscious burden from our sins, instead they served as a shadow of what was to come to redeem us.

In verse 5-10 we see that in due time, God sent forth His Son to be the true and final sacrifice that would once for all leave us justified before God.

In verse 11-18 we learn that in Christ’s ministry He is both the Priest who offers the sacrifice and He is also the sacrifice that is being offered. But He’s different than any normal priest who’s job is never finished. Instead His sacrifice was so great that another one is never again needed. It is in this New Covenant, made through the body of Jesus, that all of His New Covenant people are truly saved and we may rest with great peace that is given in places such as v14.

The Basis Of Our Boldness (19-21)

So we ask the question now, “What can give me assurance when I’m dealing with the problem of feeling like I should be distant from God when I sin?”

First, we should have our assurance anchored in the fact that

Jesus Died For Me

In verse 19, the writer begins as though to say, “Because this is true...” Because what is true? Because Jesus Christ is the perfect spotless lamb of God who died to save His people from their sins!

Because this is true there should be no reason for us to shy away from coming into the presence of God!

Instead, we are now allowed access into the most holy of holies, which is a symbolism for the very presence of God.

Christ is the hinge upon which the gates of heaven are flung open wide and you are called to come into the presence of God.

The Epistle to the Hebrews 10:19. We Have Free Access to God’s Inner Sanctuary

The access to God which believers have through Christ is no less close than that which Christ himself has attained

You don’t have to be afraid anymore. When you sin, you should remind yourself of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and take hold of passages like Hebrews 11:14

Hebrews 10:14 NKJV

14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Look in verse 20. How are we allowed into the Holy of Holies? Isn’t there a veil there blocking us out? I like how FF Bruce explains it, ““The veil which, from one point of view, kept God and man apart, can be thought of, from another point of view, as bringing them together; for it was one and the same veil which on one side was in contact with the glory of God and on the other side with the need of men.… And by His death, it could be added, the ‘veil’ of His flesh was rent asunder and the new way consecrated through it by which man may come to God.”

But not only do we look back to the finished work of Christ, but we rest in His active work. Whenever you struggle and worry, remind yourself to find assurance, not only in that Jesus Died for Me but that second,

Jesus Is Praying For Me

Robert Murray MCheyne said, ““If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.”

Guys, the Lord Jesus Christ is sitting at the right hand of the Father and He is forever interceding on our behalf, the righteousness of His precious blood.

Application

So, whenever you sin, it pleases the devil greatly to fool you into thinking you are now rejected from the Father’s presence. Instead, you should know that you are not a burden to the One who sent His Son to die for you that you might be redeemed. When He saved me, He knew about all of my faults and failures and yet He loved me anyway and when I sin and fall short of the mark, I can run to Him knowing that it pleases the heart of God to forgive sinners.

The By-Product of This Blessing (22-25)

Let Us Draw Near

Because this is true, we are called to seize the opportunity to have access to God through the work of Christ. Now lets notice a few things here.

With A True Heart

For those of us who have been radically saved by God’s grace, we have been given a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone and now, we are to be a people who approach the worship of God not only outwardly, but with genuine love for Him with our hearts.

In Full Assurance of Faith

The fulness of assurance here is that we can have absolutely no doubt that God will receive us into His presence because it is upon the work of Christ alone that we come. We come before Him upon the “new way” as seen in v20

With Our Hearts Sprinkled Clean From An Evil Conscience

This is pulling on Old Testament levitical priestly practices where they would sprinkle blood as a means of cleansing and setting apart. We as Christians, have had our consciences sprinkled which means we are a people who have been both forgiven and set apart for the service of the Lord. We don’t have to remember our sins anymore, they are all forgiven by Christ! Our minds no longer have to be places plagued with the burdens of our past, instead we can be a people whose minds are focused on the worship and service of God.

And Our Bodies Washed With Pure Water

Now, this is a debated statement here. Give both views. Explain yours. Highlight the Mikva Baths, the confession in the next verse and the gathering of believers.

Let Us Hold Fast

The Confession of Our Hope

He who promised is faithful

The basis of our assurance doesn’t rest in our performance, but in God’s faithfulness to us feeble sinners.

Let Us Consider One Another

This love of God, the peace that we have recieved in the sacrifice of His Son should result in how we behave towards our brothers and sisters who He has also bought and united us with.

And so, we should consider one another and seek how we can stir up love and good works in each other.

Donald Guthrie says, “It seems to suggest that loving one another will not just happen. It needs to be worked at, even provoked, in the same way as good works. This combination of love and good works in remarkable in emphasizing that love must have a practical outcome. It suggests that the works must be so self-evidently good that no doubt can exist in their true value.”

I think it is important to notice that in this context of being in the presence of God, there is never a mention of singular Christians but only corporate Christians. The Christian life is not a life of solo-religion, but one built with community.

Donald Guthrie continues to say, “Christian assemblies are intended to have a positive and helpful outcome, i.e. encouraging one another. The word used here (parakaleō) could equally be rendered ‘exhorting’. The basic idea is that Christians should strengthen and stimulate one another.”

Conclusion