Hebrews 10:1-18 (background Scripture)
“ONCE FOR ALL”
“If God were not willing to forgiven sin, heaven would be empty” (German proverb).
Sermon Text: Hebrews 10:19-25
THE FOUNDATIONS FOR THESE THREE COMMANDS:
1. “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. . . .”
“Boldness” speaks of the FREEDOM TO ENTER INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD.
• The POSSESSION of this boldness: EVERY BELIEVER possesses the freedom to enter into the presence of God. This privilege is no longer limited to the priesthood. The verse says, “HAVING therefore, brethren, boldness. . . .”
• The PRICE of this boldness: The price which was paid was the precious BLOOD OF JESUS. Just as the Old Covenant high priest was able to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of animals, the blood of Jesus has won us confident entrance into God’s presence.
1 Peter 3:18—“Christ . . . hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”
• The PATHWAY into this boldness: The pathway is a “new and living way.” It is “new” in contrast with the Old Testament way which shut men out from the presence of God. It is “living” because Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
The pathway is through the veil which speaks of the “FLESH” or HUMANITY of Christ.
“The veil” refers to the curtain that stood between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.
There are a number of ways in which the veil of the tabernacle pointed to Christ in the flesh:
a. It was MADE BY WOMEN.
Exodus 35:25—“And all the WOMEN that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.”
Galatians 4:4—Christ was “made of a WOMAN.”
b. It had FOUR COLORS: purple, scarlet, white, and blue.
Christ is presented in the FOUR GOSPELS. The PURPLE represent the King, in Matthew; the SCARLET represents the Servant, in Mark; the WHITE represents the Man, in Luke; and the BLUE represents the Lord from heaven, in John.
c. While it was in one piece it SHUT PEOPLE OUT FROM GOD’S PRESENCE.
Only the high priest on the Day of Atonement could pass through the veil into the Most Holy Place. The rest of the people could never enter that place.
The perfect life of Christ condemns sinners. It was rent at the cross when Christ died, and this shows Christ opening up the way into God’s presence.
Matthew 27:51—“And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. . . .”
It was torn from TOP TO THE BOTTOM. This shows that the way into God’s presence came FROM GOD TO MEN.
As the Old Covenant priest had to pass through the veil, the New Covenant people of God enter His presence by way of the sacrificial death of Christ.
2. “. . . and having an high priest over the house of God. . . .”
I. “LET US DRAW NEAR” TO GOD (vv. 21-22)
“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”
FOUR CONDITIONS for drawing near to God:
A. We are to come “with a true heart.”
A “true heart” means a SINCERE or GENUINE heart.
In the Scriptures the heart often represents the INNER LIFE of a person—his thoughts, will, emotions, and character.
Our heart determines our OUTWARD BEHAVIOR.
Luke 6:45—“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: FOR OF THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART HIS MOUTH SPEAKETH.”
What’s in your heart will come out in your words.
1 Samuel 16:7—“. . . the Lord seeth not a man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, BUT THE LORD LOOKETH ON THE HEART.”
We must possess genuine devotion rather than hypocrisy.
B. We are to come “in full assurance of faith.”
“Full assurance of faith”means CONVICTION of faith or CERTAINTY of faith.
Hebrews 11:6—“Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
C. We are to have our “our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.”
D. We are to have “our bodies washed with pure water.”
The images of sprinkling and washing go back to the Old Covenant purification rituals. The sprinkling and washing are symbols of the effect of Christ’s sacrifice.
Our hearts sprinkled from a guilty conscience pictures our salvation, and our bodies washed symbolizes a righteous lifestyle.
II. “LET US HOLD FAST THE PROFESSION OF OUR FAITH” (v. 23)
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).”
Most other translations have the word “HOPE” in this verse instead of “faith.”
How are we to hold to the hope we profess? “WITHOUT WAVERING.”
We are to lay hold of our hope in Christ and never let go, even in the slightest.
Little Martin Rowe lived on a farm with his family in rural Georgia. When he was six years old, Martin was riding the tractor with his father when the massive machine turned over. The little boy was hurt so badly that he lost the use of one of his arms and suffered damage to the other. While in the hospital, the family incurred a $32,000 debt. One day he heard his mother and father talking outside the hospital room door, his mother weeping and wondering how they were going to pay off such a large amount of money. When they came into the room Martin informed his mom that he was going to pay off the bill himself. She responded as you and I would, thanking him for his concern, but knowing silently that such a goal was fantasy for a child.
But when Martin Rowe got out of the hospital, he began to pick up bottles along the side of the road every day after school, redeeming the bottles for cash. After several months he had collected $400 and brought that to his mother. About that time, Martin learned that aluminum cans could be redeemed and began collecting those as well. The Reynolds Aluminum Company heard of the little boy’s endeavor and put him in touch with the Bear Archery Company in Gainesville, Florida; the two companies began donating their scrap aluminum to this young man. Every day after school for five years Martin continued to pick up cans after school, and at eleven years of age walked into the hospital and paid off his $32,000 debt.
Martin’s story is amazing because a little boy, motivated by his great love for his parents, seized on a goal and, having put his feet on the path to attain that goal, stayed on it “without wavering” until its end.
That’s the kind of perseverance we need!
On what basis can we hold on to our hope in Christ without wavering? “HE IS FAITHFUL THAT PROMISED.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24—“FAITHFUL IS HE THAT CALLETH YOU, WHO ALSO WILL DO IT.”
We are to hold onto the Christian hope without being moved by changing circumstances.
When from my life the old-time joys have vanished—
Treasures, once mine, I may no longer claim,
This truth may feed my hungry heart, and famished—Lord,
THOU REMAINEST! Thou art still the same!
When streams have dried, those streams of glad refreshing—
Friendships so blest, so pure, so rich, so free;
When sun-kissed skies give place to clouds depressing—
Lord, THOU REMAINEST! Still my heart hath Thee.
When strength hath failed, and feet, newborn and weary,
On gladsome errands may no longer go,
Why should I sigh, or let the days be dreary?
Lord, THOU REMAINEST! Couldst Thou more bestow?
Thus through life’s days, whoe’er or what may fail me,
Friends, friendships, joys, in small or great degree,
Songs may be mine—no sadness need assail me,
Since THOU REMAINEST, and my heart hath Thee.
Our circumstances are always changing, but our hope never changes.
III. “LET US CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER” (vv. 24-25)
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
“Let us consider” means let us ENCOURAGE.
The Christian community is called to a life of mutual encouragement.
A. We have two goals in considering one another.
1. “To provoke unto love”
“Provoke” is a word which describes the act of stirring up something. It can be used in the negative sense of stirring up disagreements (Acts 15:39). Here it is used in a positive sense.
2. To provoke “to good works”
Galatians 5:13—“. . . BY LOVE SERVE ONE ANOTHER.”
B. We accomplish these goals in two ways.
1. By “not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together, as the manner of some is”
The Psalm of Summer
Now it came to pass that spring turned to summer again. God’s people raised their voices and said:
Recreation is my shepherd, I shall not stay at home;
He maketh me to lie down in a sleeping bag;
He leadeth me down the Interstate each weekend.
He restoreth my suntain;
He leadeth me to State Parks for comfort’s sake.
Even though I stray on the Lord’s Day, I will fear no reprimand,
for Thou art with me;
my rod and my reel they comfort me.
I annointest my skin with oil, my gas tank runneth dry;
Surely my trailer shall follow me all the weekends this summer,
and I shall return to the House of the Lord this fall.
But then it is hunting season and that’s another psalm.
The emphasis is not on what a believer GETS FROM the assembly, but rather on what he can CONTRIBUTE TO the assembly.
The church is like a body; if one part is missing, the body can’t function at 100% capacity.
2. By “exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”
“The day” is the day of Christ’s return.
Ask yourself, “To whom in the body of Christ am I giving encouragement this day or this week by my presence, my actions, and my words?”
CONCLUSION
We are called to ACTION.
We need to live “FROM THE HEAD” and “FROM THE HEART”—to believe the right things and to yearn for and do the right things.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5—“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord [RIGHT BELIEF]: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind [RIGHT DESIRE AND ACTION].
Are you like MOSES or like SOLOMON?
• Moses was one whose heart yearned to know God better.
Exodus 33:11, 13—“And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” And Moses said to the Lord, “I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, THAT I MAY KNOW THEE, that I may find grace in thy sight. . . .”
• Solomon was one whose heart was divided as he turned after other gods.
1 Kings 11:3—“[Solomon] had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and HIS WIVES TURNED AWAY HIS HEART.”
1. LET US DRAW NEAR TO GOD.
2. LET US HOLD FAST TO THE PROFESSION OF OUR FAITH.
3. LET US CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER.
