Hebrews 10:19-25 Radical Commitment to Church WC McCarter
Introduction
There are so
many directions I could take a sermon with this title. It could be very
topical, and I could just tell you what I think about commitment to church. I
could tell you that (1) Being committed to church is being committed to the
encouragement, support, and uplifting of the local congregation. I could also
tell you that (2) Being committed to church is being committed to the ongoing
growth of the church not only locally but around the world; that sending
missionaries to do Gospel work throughout the nations is of utmost priority;
and that we need to continually pray for missionaries and send as many
resources as possible. I could take this all sorts of directions, but I have
decided to teach/preach Heb 10:19-25. You and I need to know what the Lord says
about these things. So, we will cover only part of it from this passage.
READ Scripture- This is the Word of God
We have Boldness and a High Priest (19-21)
The “therefore”
summarizes at least 4:14-10:18. In fact, there is great overlap of this passage
with what was said in 4:14-16. The writer calls on the brethren, that is, the
brothers and sisters in the church, to act a certain way in light of what he
has said throughout these several chapters. On the basis of Christ High
Priesthood, we have (1) boldness to enter the Holiest and (2) a High Priest.
Let’s look
at the first part. We now have boldness to enter in the Holiest. The “Holiest”
is the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies. In the Temple there were sections
and courts. The Most Holy place was the most inner place where God came down
and met with the High Priest. Only the High Priest could go into that area and
only at designated times. Thus, only one man had access into the full and
glorious presence of God. Hebrews now says that we can have boldness to
enter into that place, that is, into the presence of God on the basis of the blood
of Jesus which is a new and living way. What is so new about it? We may enter
into God’s presence not by the blood of bulls and goats but by the precious blood
of Jesus. That is new. We could list off several things that are new about this
way, but let us suffice it to say that another important part of this that is
new is the fact that Jesus’ blood provides access into the presence of God for
not only one, or some, but for all us. What
makes this way living? The primary reason that this is a living way as
opposed to a dead way is because Christ has laid down His life as a sacrifice,
and He has been raised from the dead. The resurrection ensures that this is a
living way.
This is
something that only Christ could consecrate for us. He is the Resurrection and
the Life. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Just as the ancient Temple
had a large, heavy curtain which separated everyone from the presence of God
and it was literally and physically torn from top to bottom when Christ died on
the cross, here Jesus’ flesh is seen as that veil. Christ’s body was torn on
our behalf. His flesh was ripped for us. The wrath of God fell upon His soul in
order that we would have a new and living way into the presence of God. Thus,
we have boldness to enter God’s presence because we do so on account of the
blood of Jesus.
The second
thing we have is a High Priest. We know that this is a major theme in the book
of Hebrews. We are now the people of God. Those who were not God’s people are
now God’s people. We are the house of God, and Jesus is our High Priest. He is
our go-between. We have no need to look to any other thing or any other person
to get us to God; no priest, or pastor, or system. We go to God the Father
through God the Son. It is on this basis that the author will now exhort us to
do three things. These three each begin with, “Let us.”
Let Us Draw Near (22)
Since we
have boldness to enter God’s presence and since we have a High Priest, let us
draw near to God (1) with a true heart [genuine, sincere; the heart is usually
meant to refer to the mind] (2) in full assurance of faith [assurance takes
place in the life of the mind] (3) having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience [in the ancient Jewish system there were several ceremonial
cleansings, but here it must refer to the work of God in our lives for
regeneration] and (4) having our bodies washed with pure water [along the same
lines of the ceremonial washings, the author says that our bodies have been
washed with pure water, that is, we have been cleansed from all sin]. No longer
pull away from God. No longer dabble into the things of the world. Draw near to
God. Let your confidence be sure as you draw near to Him.
Let Us Hold Fast the Confession of Our Hope (23)
Since we
have boldness to enter God’s presence and since we have a High Priest, let us
hold fast the confession of our hope (1) without wavering (2) for He who
promised is faithful. “Without wavering” literally means to not bend. Christian
hope does not change because it is rooted in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
He does not change. What He has accomplished is established and firm. These are
things that happened outside of us, back in history. The only thing that might
change is your steadfastness. What about you? Therefore, on the basis of Christ’s
finished work, we should not waver. Our hope should be straight. God has been
shown to be faithful throughout time. When we put the pieces together and
consider that God made this plan of redemption even before the foundation of
the world, He was faithful to and through the nation of Israel, and then He
sent His Son into the world in order to save sinners. His faithfulness was put
on full display when Christ came into the world and fulfilled the plan of
redemption. The life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection of Christ was the
faithfulness of God. If He has already done, what seems to me, the hard work,
why would He then not give us everything else? He will surely, then, be
faithful to His promises about our future. He has proven Himself throughout
time, mainly in Christ, and He will in the future.
Let Us Consider One Another (24-25)
Think of
where the author has come in the development of these points: Christ is God’s
final word on all things; Christ is greater than the angels, greater than
Moses, greater than Joshua, He is more excellent than any who have come before.
He has done the greatest work in history, the work of salvation. Since we have
boldness to enter God’s presence and since we have a High Priest, let us consider
one another in order to (1) stir up love and (2) stir up good works. To do this
we will have to (1) not forsake the assembling of ourselves together and (2)
exhort one another.
It is not
only about one or some getting across the finish line. We can all get across
the line. I know many who run marathons. They celebrate the completion the
race, even if they finish two hours after the person who took first place. The
same is true of the Christian life. It is not about who gets there the
quickest. It is about all of us getting across the finish line. We only have to
finish the race of faith that is before us. It is my goal as your pastor to get
all of you across the line. It should also be our goal as a church to get each
of us across the finish line.
Another
motivator for being together so that we can exhort one another is because “the
Day,” that is, the Judgment Day is approaching. We get into our regular
routines, taking care of our responsibilities at work, at home, and in the
community, and we forget that this will all be over one day. This life does not
last forever. Either you will die soon or Christ will return.
A commitment
to regular attendance in worship is a commitment to the other people here. It
is rooted in your thoughtfulness and love for one another. If you are going to
stir up love and good works in one another, you have to be together. If you are
going to exhort one another, you have to be face-to-face.
Conclusion and Christian Application
The
Scriptures call on us to not consider a commitment to church to be a commitment
to some religious duty; rather, we are to consider church to be a commitment to
one another, a commitment to the people who are our brothers and sisters in
Christ.