One of the greatest rescue stories in history occurred in 2010; 33 miners were trapped underground in a copper mine in Chile when suddenly the shaft collapsed and they were buried alive deep in the earth.
They were under 770, 000 pounds of rock. They were frightened, hopeless, and awaited their death. They felt that they were abandoned in the darkness. Ultimately, their potential rescuers were able to breakthrough to them and communicate the words “Hope was on the way.”
Yet, for two months, they sat in the dark, eating and drinking what they hoped with be the rations that kept them alive; instead of a morsel or two to call their last supper.
Finally, on the 69th day, the rescuers broke through the barriers and not one miner was lost.
Transition:
Sometimes we feel like life has caved in on us and we are left wondering; “Will I be abandoned or rescued.”
The original recipients of the Book of Hebrews were in distress. Their world had fallen apart. They were persecuted and as a result; felt very forsaken. They were giving up hope. They felt abandoned.
Emotional abandonment is a powerful feeling. It makes us feel like we are unwanted, forgotten, left out, and ignored. We often feel this way when we feel that we are cut off from God or unnecessary to God.
Paul wrote about feeling of being abandoned by his friends when he was in prison. He wrote in 2 Timothy 4: 16-17: “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave be strength...”
His testimony was: God has stood by my side. He will stand by yours too.
He described his feelings as he said: “And I was delivered from the lions mouth.”
The lion mouth is very powerful. It has 30 teeth. He has four front teeth; they are large and sharp for the purpose of tearing flesh. They have 4 teeth in their cheeks each. They again are used for tearing. A lions mouth is found to be able to crush with the pressure of 1000 pounds per square inch. Yet, they are not able to chew; therefore, they literally swallow their prey whole.
I Peter 5:6 likens the devil to a lion as it reads: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Yet, as in the life of Daniel; God is able to close the mouth of lions; likewise, He is able to close in and hem in your enemy; through His mighty acts of deliverance.
In Hebrews 13, before the writer closes this book; He wants to paint another picture of:
a) The person of God- He wants us to know that He will never abandon us.
b) The power of God- He wants us to know that He has the power to deliver us.
Transitional Sentence: Our God is a God of deliverance; not abandonment. But what proof do I have that Jesus will not abandon me? We know He will never leave us when we understand:
I. How Far Jesus Was Willing To Go For You
vs. 10-12: “We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. (Then we read) Therefore, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.”
Explanation:
When you love someone, you pursue them. Your pursuit communicates your passion.
Illustration: Greg and Tina
When I was in High School I had a very close friend named Greg. From the moment I met Greg he declared his love and desire for my friend Tina.
Every time he saw her he was completely focused. I truly believe it was love at first sight. Yet, at first, she did not seem too interested. Yet, for many years he did not fail in his pursuit until finally one day she accepted his invitation for a date.
Soon, they became an item and now they have been married for years and have a beautiful family. Yet, often as I think of God’s love for us; their love story comes to mind. Mainly because of how Gregg pursued Tina.
Explanation:
I John 4:19 says: “We love because He first loved us.” In other words, God initiates the relationship with us; through pursuing us first.
Psalm 139 says: “Oh Lord, you have examined my heart and you know everything about me. You know when I sit down and stand up. You know my thoughts from afar off...” Do you know why? He’s up front and personal in your life. He is in consistent pursuit.
The Psalmist said: “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life...” Psalm 23:6. The Hebrew word for “follow” is the word “radaph” is translated “chase.” Have you ever thought of God chasing you?
The “chase” is described by the writer of Hebrews in this way:
In this verse God says: “We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. (Then we read) Therefore, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.”
This verse basically tells us about where Jesus was willing to go so that He might bring us to Himself.
Notice that the Bible says that he “suffered outside the camp.”
The term, “outside the camp” in the Old Testament is seen as a place of uncleanness. In Deuteronomy 23:12-14 it was basically “the toilet area.” Let me read this to you:
“You shall also have a place outside the camp and go out there, and you shall have a spade among your tools, and it shall be when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and shall turn to cover up your excrement. Since the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you.”
Basically, God tell us in that one of the ways you know how much God loves you is how far Jesus will go for you.
In this verse we see that in the Exodus God did not walk in the camp. Outside the camp was a place of dung and divine curse.
On the day of Atonement, as a foreshadowing of the cross, on the day of atonement each year, there were 1.2 million animals slaughtered in one day. Some texts depict priests wading up to their knees in blood. That’s an ugly picture all by itself.
Yet, imagine how much more filth and grime collected “outside the camp” as the bodies of these decaying animals were burned and destroyed through fire.
To give a visual of the love of God for you and me, we read this:
“Therefore, Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the camp.”
Illustration: Poopastrophe
I don’t know if you have an electric robot vacuum. They are called “Roomba’s.” A couple of weeks ago I got home and when I arrived something was not right. There was a scent in the air that I just couldn’t bare. Right?
You might have read about some of these incidents on the internet with the combo of dog ownership and Roomba ownership. They rightfully call them on the internet as “Pooptastrophes.”
One guy on the internet said that he went to bed one night with the house smelling like cleaning products, only to discover that the next morning, as the Roomba ran during the night, that it had found some of rovers leftovers. (If you know what I mean.) It got 3 million hits.
If this ever happens to you, I assure you, you might consider burning your house down and trying to collect the insurance. Has anyone ever experienced this besides me?
I will tell you, as valuable and as wonderful as the Roomba is. You will clean up your mess which will include putting your expensive Roomba in a place “outside the camp.” I have two currently that have had a decent burial at the Cobb County dump. Their current location is “outside the camp--- not in my house.”
Application:
Yet, that story might seem a little humorous, but I can tell you that that there was nothing humorous to God about the place Jesus bore our sins. To God it was a place of divine curse. It was called “Golgotha.” It was shaped like a skull. It was a symbol of death and the stench of death lingered there.
Yet, this is how much God loved you. He sent His Son there to die and be discarded by man there for you.
God will not abandon you because Jesus has proven His love for you. He will go outside the camp-- a place where God would not even walk-- and have those feel nailed to a cross there for you. All because He loves you.
Transitional Sentence: Our God is a God of deliverance; not abandonment. But what proof do I have that Jesus will not abandon me? We know He will never leave us when we understand:
II. How Much He Is Willing to Pay to Redeem You
Vs 12b-13-“Therefore, Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.”
Explanation:
Jesus proved His love for us by the price He paid to redeem us. The Bible tells us: “Therefore, Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.’ Vs. 12
In the Old Covenant, the blood of 1.2 million animals every year were slaughtered for the purpose of cleansing sin. Yet, the Bible here contrasts the action of Jesus verses the activities of the temple to forgive sins.
The activities of the High Priest was to take blood and to place it on the altar for sins. What do we know about Jesus’ blood?
a) It was sacred blood- The blood of Jesus was different from the blood of anything or
anyone else.
Acts 20:28 says: “God purchased the church with His own blood.” It was the blood of
God.
b) It was shed blood- The blood of Jesus was not spilled, it was shed. In other words, God
chose to give His blood for us through Jesus. Way back in the book of Leviticus 17:11-
“For the life of flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make
atonement for your souls, for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes
atonement. “
c) It was saving blood- The Bible says that we are redeemed. I Peter 1:18-19 says were
are saved- “with the precious blood of Christ...”
Without the blood of Jesus, there would be no salvation. Only Jesus blood can cleanse us from all sin.
Illustration: All my blood
As the Vietnam War raged on, a story is told of a terrifying night when mortar rounds pummeled a small village orphanage run by Christian missionaries. The missionaries and two children were killed outright. Several more were wounded, including one 8 year old girl.
The villagers, seeking medical help, raced to a neighboring village which had contact with the American forces. A navy doctor and nurse arrived to triage the wounded. Being the most critically wounded, the little 8 year old girl would die without a transfusion.
Using improvised sign language, the American medical team tried to explain the need for a blood donor. There wasn’t time to consider if the donor was a match.
With some blood, the girl might live, without it she would surely die.
The villagers strained to understand what the doctor and nurse were requesting. After a long silence a young boy named Heng raised his hand.
The doctor thanked him profusely and laid him on a pallet, swabbed his arm, and inserted the needle. Heng began to cry. The doctor inquired if the needle was hurting him. Heng shook his head no. Soon the tears gave way to sobs.
After a period of time Heng asked: “When am I going to die?” The doctor explained, “Son you are not going to die, we are only going to take a little of your blood; not all of it.”
The boy had volunteered to give up all his blood for the little girl.
Application:
The average adult has 1.5 gallons of blood in their body (10 units)That’s about 4500 ML.
Yet, all the blood in everybody in the world would not be enough to cleanse us from all sin. It required the only blood that would cleanse sin; that is, the blood of Jesus.
You see, you can receive a transfusion and it can give your life for a while; but only the blood of Jesus can give forgiveness of sins and eternal life forever.
It’s like a little girl once said in Sunday School. Her teacher asked: “Is there anything God cannot see?” The wise little girl responded: “Yes, He cannot see my sins when Jesus blood covers them.”
When God sees you as a believer, He sees the blood of Jesus that’s why He could never abandon you. When He sees you; He sees the blood of Jesus that covers your sins each and every day.
"Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22).
Those who have been redeemed are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ that speaks of the blood. Therefore, we are separated and set apart because of one identifying characteristic of our life; we identify with Jesus and His blood.
Verse 13 tells us that we should sing, celebrate, and proclaim the blood of Christ as we read: “So let us go to Him outside the camp (He’s still at work outside the camp) bearing His reproach.”
Why?
Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
Transitional Sentence: Our God is a God of deliverance; not abandonment. But what proof do I have that Jesus will not abandon me? We know He will never leave us when we understand:
III. How He’s Preparing A Place For You
vs. 14- “For here we do not have a lasting city. But we are seeking the city which is to come.”
Explanation:
Look at your neighbor and say: “You’re not homeless.”
As believers, these believers often felt abandoned and “set outside the camp” of others whom they once felt were family and friends. In some cases, because they were Christians, they were “set outside” their cities and communities and were abandoned and no longer invited to participate and partake with others.
Specifically, as converted and Messianic Jews they were often no longer seen as citizens of Jerusalem. They were ostracized and abandoned.
Yet, the writer reminds them of the fact that there was a heavenly Jerusalem, a new Jerusalem awaiting them.
Hebrews 11:10 tells us about Jacob who lived in tents while on earth, “For he was looking for a city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
Did you know that right now, God’s city -- the New Jerusalem is under construction? According to Jesus, it is a place that is “being prepared.”
This place for us is called: The New Jerusalem.
Illustration: The Pilgrims Progress/Bunyan
In the classic, Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan in his book his main character got out of the “Slogh of Despond” and began walking. Along the way he would say these words: “I am a pilgrim and I am on my way to the Celestial city.”
Along the path when he would fall down, he would pick himself back up and say: “I am a pilgrim and I am on my way to the Celestial city.”
When he was incarcerated in the “doubting Castle”-- when he would climb difficult and high mountains-- and when he would get discouraged, feel abandoned, or become afraid he would always say. “I am a pilgrim and I am on my way to the Celestial City.”
Through the book this was his mantra and message: “I am a pilgrim and I am on my way to the Celestial City.” His heart and his mind were fixed on the celestial city.
Application:
Let me ask you today, what is your heart fixed on? Where are you headed? Have you lost sight of the celestial city?
Paul likened this world to a camp ground and your bodies to an earthly tent. Yet, God is preparing a place for us inside a city called the New Jerusalem.
That city has several features:
a) It’s known for what it doesn’t have- There are no tears there. Would you like to live in a
city where no one shed a tear and where disappointment does not exist. How about a
place where death is a thing of the past?
b) It’s known for its dimensions- It is described in in the book of Revelation by a
measurement that is 4 square taking up 2600 miles. Did you know that the moon is a
sphere whose diameter is 2160 miles? It is a real and measurable place. (Revelation
21:6)
c) It’s known for who is there. The Bible says: “The city does not need the sun or the moon
to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”
David Jeremiah described it this way: “The Bible describes the city as a city built on precious stones. Entry into this city will be through gates of pearl and the streets will be paved with gold. Near the city center you will find the tree of life which has been missing since the Book of Genesis in chapter 3. The inhabitants of this city will be able to eat the leaves of the tree of life and they will be able to provide a deeper sense of our well-being. In the heart of the city will be the river of life that will flow from the throne of God and flow through the landscape and delight the whole (recreated) earth. It will be a heavenly city; but most of all, it will be a holy city because everyone who lives in it will be holy.
How? Jesus went outside the camp. He came down to earth; to bring a heaven to us. He did not come to abandon us; instead, He came to rescue us, redeem us, and always be with us.
That’s how good Jesus is to you and me.
Conclusion: God forsaken
In the 1600’s a man named Owen Felltham, who was a writer and poet created a new word. The word was: Godforsaken.
Yet, today that word does not ever have to form on your lips for if you know Christ Jesus promised: “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
You can be a citizen and a sojourner headed to that city if you will acknowledge:
a) How far Jesus will go for you. (He left heaven and went outside the camp for you and me.)
b) How much he was willing to pay to redeem you.
c) How he has a place for you.
He wants to forgive you not forsake you. Will you respond to Him today?
